Stereo Hearts
by AllThatJazz21
Summary: Everyone is back in Lima, but this time they are not alone; their kids have seemed to make the trip with them. Will this little family reunion bring back old memories or create a whole new realm of drama? After all, Dorothy said it best when she explained, "there's no place like home." (Reposted!)
1. Introductions

***** Stereo Hearts *****

_Wednesday, September 1, 2032 - Day 1 _

Isabella Puckerman stepped out of her mother's red Ford Taurus, books in hand, and onto the paved parking lot, ready to start her first year as a freshman at McKinley. Marley exited from the driver's side door, and walked around the car to her awaiting daughter. She handed Bella her lunchbox, filled with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, chopped carrots, fresh blueberries, two chocolate chip cookies, and a canister of tea; and quickly adjusted her daughter's light brown glasses before kissing her on the forehead.

"Aw, you look so adorable!" Marley gushed, eyeing her daughter up and down.

"Mom, you're acting weird again." Bella moaned. She loved her mother, but she always seemed to do things that would embarrass her.

"What? Can't I be excited for my daughter's first day of high school?" Marley asked.

"No, you can, it's just..." Bella took a moment to collect her thoughts before letting out a deep breath, "I'm not a little kid anymore. The whole point of high school is to help teenagers become more independent. I don't see how I'm going to be able to do that if you keep insisting on treating me like a child."

Marley looked disappointed, and maybe even a little rejected. "Oh...I see. I didn't realize you felt that way."

"Please don't take it personally." Bella pleaded to her mother. "We can still have fun in Glee Club together."

"Yeah, of course." Marley replied, still sounding upset. "Speaking of which, I have a meeting with Principal Shuester about the responsibilities of being Glee Club director. You'll be able to find your way around alright, won't you?"

"Yeah, I'm sure I'll manage." Her daughter responded.

"Alright, well if you get lost, you know your cousins will always be more than helpful to show you around school."

"I'll be fine, mom. I promise." Bella assured.

"Okay, have a great first day." Marley said with a smile. She was tempted to kiss her daughter one last time, but ultimately decided against it. If Bella wanted to be more independent, that's just something she was going to have to accept. Marley waved goodbye to her daughter, and was off towards the main entrance of the school.

After her mother was gone, Bella pulled out her class schedule, and looked up where her first period class was being held. Without watching her surroundings and with her head pointed towards the ground, she started making her way through the parking lot. The next moment happened so fast Bella wasn't even sure you could call it a moment, it was more of a split-second thing.

A blue convertible came zooming down the parking lot, and turned into a parking spot so fast, Bella didn't even have time react. Luckily for her, someone tackled her to the ground before the car could completely run her over. A girl stepped out of the car, with her wavy, light brown hair in a perfect pony tail and her red-and-white Cheerios uniform more form-fitting than ever.

"Next time watch where you're going." She advised the two people lying on the ground. "I can't have blood stains on my brand new car." The girl slipped on her sunglasses, and sent one final look of pity to the bumbling freshman before walking away.

"Holy Zeus, are you okay?" The boy that saved her asked. He helped her off the ground, and watched as she dusted off her clothes.

"Yeah." Bella replied, quietly. She was very shy, and was never good at talking to people she had just met.

"You sure? You don't have to see the nurse or anything, do you?" The boy questioned.

"No, I'm fine. Who was that?" Bella asked, referring back to the cheerleader from before.

"Oh, that was Ariella Weston. She's a real prima donna, always has to be the center of attention." He clarified. "I'm Andrew Abrams, but you can call me Drew."

"Bella Puckerman." She responded, crossing her arms tightly over her chest.

"Well, I guess I'll see you later, Bella. Try to stay out of trouble, alright." Drew responded, jokingly, before running off to join his friends near the football bleachers. From the looks of it, they seemed to be having a light-saber battle.

Bella ignored her new-found saviour and walked to the front of the school. She opened the main doors and was immediately met with a large bulletin board on the wall, full of sign-up sheets. She located the one her mother had hung up, and read it as follows:

_**Glee Club Sign-Up Sheet - Auditions are this Friday!**_

_Current Members_

_Riley Evans_

_Olivia Smythe-Hummel_

_Gabriel Lopez-Pierce_

_Ariella Weston_

_Marlow Puckerman_

_Patricia Evans_

_Elijah Shuester_

_Andrew Abrams_

_Darrell Puckerman_

_Sign-Up Here!_

Bella quickly scribbled her name down on the sign-up sheet before running off down the hallway to her first class of the day.

***** Stereo Hearts *****

Daniel Fabray roamed the crowded hallways of McKinley, trying to figure out where his next class was located, but wasn't seeming to have much luck. Today was his first day at a new school, considering the last school he was at got shut down, and he was having trouble finding any of his classes. While wandering around, Dan managed to locate the bulletin boards covered with a wide-range of sign-up sheets from the swimming team to the chess club. He knew, prior to today, that his twin sister was signing up for cheerleading, so he thought maybe he should go out for something as well, at least as a way to make new friends. Then he spotted the football sign-up sheet.

"Thinking about trying out for something?" A boy's voice came from behind him. Dan turned around and spotted a brown-haired boy in a light blue plaid shirt and gray, hooded cardigan, with a sling around his left arm.

"Oh, um, I don't know." The tall junior replied, turning back towards the bulletin board.

"Well you should. McKinley's a really great school, we pretty much offer something for everyone."

"You sound like you're giving a sales pitch." Dan said with a chuckle.

The other boy let out a laugh as well. "Yeah, sorry, I tend to do that. It's just that I'm Student Council president, so it's sort of my job to get new students involved in our school."

"How could you tell I was new?"

"Well I've never seen you around before, and I pretty much know everyone who goes to this school, so I just figured you must be new." The boy explained. "I'm Riley Evans, by the way." He clarified, holding out his hand.

"Danny Fabray." The other boy replied, shaking Riley's hand.

"Well Danny, see anything you like?" Riley asked, gesturing to the bulletin board.

Dan scanned the board over, and once again stopped on the football sign-up sheet. "I was actually thinking about trying out for the football team. You don't happen to know if they have a running back spot open, do you?"

"Dude, you play football?" Riley questioned rhetorically, considering he wasn't really looking for a response. "Well you're in luck, our starting running back just graduated last year. And taken as I am the captain of the football team, I could introduce you to all the guys."

"You'd really do that, man?" Dan asked, surprised. This guy seemed really cool.

"Course. What are friends for?"

"Taking pictures of." A girl answered, snapping a picture of the two boys. She lowered her camera, and Danny couldn't help but notice that she was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Just the way her green eyes lit up when she took a picture was enough to make any guy fall head over feet. "There's another one to add to the yearbook."

"Hey, Liv." Riley greeted. "She's the senior editor of the yearbook and school newspaper." He explained to Danny.

"Not to mention the vice-president of the photography club." The brunette added, walking towards her friend. "So the rumors are true, huh, Riley? You somehow managed to sprain your arm only weeks before football practice started. Do I really have to keep an eye on you every second?"

"I had a great summer, thanks for asking." Riley responded, teasing his friend. "How was New York?"

"Amazing!" Olivia exclaimed. "My journalism internship was all I'd hoped it be and more. I'm thinking about applying for it again next summer."

"That's great, I'm really happy for you." The junior replied with a smile. "Oh, and hey, there's someone I wanted to introduce you to. This is Danny Fabray, he's going to try out for the football team."

"Oh, one more guy I can cheer for." The senior declared. "Sounds like fun. Well, I should probably get going. Lots more pictures to take before the end of the day. Hey Riley, you haven't seen my little sister anywhere, have you? I forgot to give her her lunchbox before school."

"Uh, no, I haven't. I could ask around."

"Oh no, it's fine. I'm sure I'll find her before lunch. Anyway, good luck at football practice. I'll see you in Glee Club on Friday. It was nice meeting you, by the way." Olivia said to Danny before walking away. Dan just ended up waving to her back.

After his initial lapse in consciousness was over, he managed to register what she had said. "Hey, what's Glee Club?"

"Oh, Liv's sparked your interest, has she?" Riley asked. "Well, if you must know, it's a singing group. You know, like a show choir. Don't tell me you sing, too." Dan just shrugged his shoulders, signaling that he did, in fact, sing. "In that case," Riley pulled out a pen from his back pocket, "here you go," and handed it to the other junior.

Danny signed his name under Bella's and handed the pen back to Riley. Today was finally starting to look up. He had made a new friend, joined two clubs, and met the potential girl of his dreams. That seemed like a rather productive morning.

***** Stereo Hearts *****

Andrew Abrams was sitting at his normal lunch table, eating a slice of pizza, when someone came up behind him and covered their hands over his eyes.

"Guess who?" They asked.

"Um...Luke Skywalker." Drew replied.

"No, it's me." Olivia said before dropping her hands. She took a seat down next to her friend and stole some of his french fries.

"Damn, that would have been pretty cool if you were."

Olivia just laughed and shook her head. "You're such a dork." She said while throwing a french fry in his face. "Hey, so I heard through the grape-vine that you saved someone's life today. Who would've ever thought that by best friend would turn out to be a hero."

"Let me guess, Ariel told you?" Drew asked.

"Yeah, she said you practically flew in front of her car. And if I recall correctly, she referred to you as a self-righteous moron... among other things that I'm not at liberty to repeat."

"Hmm...that definitely sounds like her."

"Yeah, tell me about it. But you know how she is, sometimes she's rude one day and really nice the next. It really just depends on how her day starts out." Olivia said. "So who was this mystery girl you saved, anyway?"

"Her name's Bella Puckerman. I'm pretty sure she's a freshman." Drew assumed.

"Puckerman, huh? Our new glee director's last name is Puckerman. You don't think that's her daughter, do you?" The senior asked, putting two and two together.

"It's possible. I guess we'll find out soon enough, auditions are this Friday." Drew pointed out, taking another bite of his pizza.

On the other side of the cafeteria was Daniel Fabray. Riley had a different lunch schedule, and he wasn't able to meet any other new friends since then, so he just decided to take a seat at an abandoned table. Not long after he sat down though, his sister, Ava Fabray, joined him at the lunch table.

"Hey, Danny." She greeted, setting down her lunch tray.

Hi, Aj. Having a good first day, so far?" Her brother asked.

"Hmm, yeah, I guess. I've just sort of been floating by. I haven't really made any friends yet." Ava responded. "You?"

"Well, I signed up for the football team and Glee Club. It's sort of like a group for singers. You should try out too."

"What? For Glee Club? I heard only geeks and outcasts sign up for that club." His sister replied, uninterested.

"What? No. Riley's in that club, and he's the captain of the football team." Drew clarified.

"Who's Riley?"

"Oh, he's a guy I met this morning. He's actually pretty cool, I bet you'd like him." The junior thought. "He's the one that convinced me to join Glee Club in the first place."

"Hmm...I'll think about it." Ava said. It's not that she didn't like singing because she did, it's just that she really wanted to fit in at this school, and she didn't think joining something like Glee Club was going to help her become more popular. "Hey, I gotta go. I'll see you after cheerleading tryouts. Ava picked up her lunch tray, and ruffled her brother's hair before walking away.

Dan sent her an irritated look. "I hate it when people do that."

"I know." Ava replied, sticking out her tongue. Oh, how he loved her sisterly love.

***** Stereo Hearts *****

Isabella Puckerman walked into the music room for 5th period and took a seat in the back row. She set her bookbag on the ground and looked around at all the instruments in the room. Playing instruments was one of Bella's biggest passions. Her mother had her playing all kinds of instruments from a very young age, she was even considered a musical prodigy by most of her tutors.

While writing a few notes down in her planner, two jocks were rough-housing in the isle and ended up knocking over her bookbag, spilling out her books and other possessions. They weren't even kind enough to say they were sorry or help her pick them back up, but she figured that was high school. Bella began collecting her books, and was about to pick up her last binder until someone beat her to it.

"Here, I got it." A boy's voice said, picking up the binder, noticing a printed picture on the front of it. "Hairspay, huh? You have good taste, that's my favorite musical."

"Really? You know most guys wouldn't admit that." Bella said with a raise of her eyebrow.

"Most guys aren't me. I don't care what people think." Bella looked impressed. Out of all the guys she'd met, none of them ever dared be that confident. "I'm Riley."

"Bella. Please don't tell me you almost got hit by a car today too." The freshman replied, eyeing the boy's sling.

"Oh, so you're the girl Ariella almost ran over with her car. You know you've become the most discussed topic around school. That's usually my thing." The junior responded, jokingly.

Bella let out a small laugh. "Well I'm sorry for stealing your title."

"It's okay. It's actually nice not being noticed for once. People can be pretty demanding." The jock explained.

"Oh, Riley, you're so funny." A girl said while walking up to them. She had crimped, dark brown hair and was wearing a very short red dress with a leather jacket and high-heeled boots. "You're about as easy to notice as a polar bear in a fish tank. Can you really blame girls for not being able to take their eyes off you?"

"Hi, Maria." Riley greeted with a smile. "You look nice today."

"Oh, thanks, you're so sweet." Maria gushed. "I figured I might as well dress up as hot as possible, considering as of tomorrow I'll be sporting one of those red-and-white Cheerios uniforms."

"Oh yeah, good luck at tryouts. I forgot they were today."

"Hey, you should come." Maria suggested. "You know, considering you can't attend football tryouts today anyway. Not with that sling on your arm, which looks totally sexy by the way."

"Thanks..." Riley replied. Bella could not believe this girl, she was so vain, but at the same time was totally throwing herself at Riley. "I wish I could, but I can't. I'm actually introducing a guy to the rest of the football team after school. He's new this year, and I figured it would be an easy way for him to make friends."

"Aw, Riley Evans, everybody. One of the nicest guys you'll ever meet. I'm the exact same way." Okay, now Bella literally wanted to puke. This girl was something else.

"Yeah, well, I should probably get back to my seat. I'll see you girls later." Riley walked back to the front of the room, and Maria sent a glare to the new girl before taking a seat down next to her.

"I know you like Riley." She began. "And don't bother trying to deny it because I saw the way you were smiling at him."

Man this girl had a lot of nerve, she didn't understand the meaning of boundaries, did she? "Excuse me?"

"Don't play stupid, four eyes." The brunette retorted. "Let's just get one thing straight, okay? Riley's mine. He and my brother are like best friends so I've pretty much known him forever. That means you stay away from him, got it?"

"I didn't realize he was something you could own." Bella replied.

"Look, I don't like people who mess with my things, so if you try to steal Riley from me, I'm going to make the rest of your four years at this school a living hell." Maria got up from her seat, and sent one final death glare to the other freshman before joining her friends on the other side of the room. After she was gone, Bella couldn't think to imagine this day getting any worse. Whoever said high school were the best years of your life was seriously misinformed.

***** Stereo Hearts *****

Ariella Weston sat behind the judge's table, today was the first day of Cheerios auditions, and there to assist her with making her decisions was Olivia and another girl from the cheer squad. Principal Shuester had just found a new cheerleading coach, who just so happened to be Sue Sylvester's niece, but she wasn't expected to arrive until sometime next week, so that left the judging up to the team captain.

"Okay, first up is Lexi Tulson." Ariel spoke.

Out walked a girl wearing a blue tank top over a yellow long-sleeved shirt, high-waisted purple shorts, and pink leg warmers. She began her routine, and it was so terrible Ariel had to shield her eyes or she was going to go blind. Olivia watched as the girl pranced around the gym, executing moves that made it look like she was fighting off a group of invisible ninjas, and losing badly.

"I'm gonna have to stop you right there." The cheer captain interrupted while holding up her hand. "This is the worst performance I've ever witnessed. And who dressed you? You look like the love child of Richard Simmons and Polly Pocket. Next!"

[Cue montage of terrible auditions while playing the Benny Hill theme music]

By the 20th audition, Olivia was pounding her head on the judge's table, Ariella was scribbling the words, "someone sedate me!" on her clipboard, and the other cheerleader had already just gotten up and left.

"I don't know how much more of this I can take." Olivia said. "Please tell me the next person on the list doesn't suck."

"Let's pray for our sakes that they don't." Ariella responded. "Maria Lopez-Pierce, you're up next!"

Maria walked out onto the floor, and at least she looked like a cheerleader, unlike those other girls. She had changed into a white t-shirt, red shorts, and her hair was in a high pony tail. She took her place at the center of the gym, and showed off her contagious white smile before starting her cheer.

"Clap your hands," Maria clapped her hands then paused.  
"Stomp your feet," She stopped her feet.  
"McKinley Titans can't be beat."  
"Go red, red. Go white, white."  
"Come on team you can do it just put some power to it."

"Goooooooo Titans!" Maria executed a high kick and then finished her routine off with three consecutive back handsprings.

Olivia began clapping wildly and even gave the freshman a standing ovation. "Sit down." Ariella instructed, pulling the girl back into her seat. Maria just curtsied.

"Congratulations Maria, you're a part of the Cheerios." The captain said, and Maria couldn't help contain her enthusiasm. "Jackie will register you your uniform. As for me, I'm getting the hell out of here, I'm in serious need of a long-ass bubble bath."

"But A, there's still one more person on the audition's list." Olivia replied.

"Ugh, who is it?" Ariel asked.

"Ava Fabray."

"Here!" The junior shouted, and the cheer captain visibly cringed. "I'm here."

"Wait, Fabray? You're not by chance related to Quinn Fabray are you?" Olivia questioned.

"Yeah, she's my mom." The girl responded. Ariel's ears perked up at that, and she turned to face the blonde.

"Wow, she's like a legend at this school." The senior stated. "Those are some mighty big shoes to fill."

"Yeah, Liv's right, I'm not sure you're cut out for it." Ariel said. "I mean, because if you really were Quinn's daughter, you would be able to execute any cheerleading move, right?"

"Um, I guess..." Ava replied, unsure.

"Great. Show me a front tuck - roundoff - back handspring - layout twist."

"A, are you serious? Our last cheerleading coach wouldn't even let us perform that stunt it was so dangerous. Are you trying to get her hurt?" Olivia asked.

"I'm waiting." Ariella said, raising an eyebrow.

Ava took a deep breath, and started walking all the way towards the back of the gym so she would have enough room to execute the stunt. Ariel eyed the girl curiously, trying to decide if she was actually going to go through with it or not. Ava took a running start, and put all her force into executing all four consecutive moves. She ended up performing the stunt perfectly and couldn't help the smile that formed on her face after she succeeded. Ava turned around and faced the judges, waiting for her critique. A long silence filled the gymnasium, and Olivia was holding her breath, waiting to hear what the captain thought of the routine.

"Your landing was a little shaky. If I expect this team to win Nationals, we need to be flawless, no mistakes. Better luck next year." The captain said, sending a fake smile to the other junior. Ava just scoffed at the girl's pride, she obviously couldn't handle someone being better than her at something. She picked up her gym bag, and began walking towards the exit.

"A, what are you doing? She was amazing." Olivia whispered. "I'm telling you, please reconsider. We might have a shot at Nationals this year if she's on our team."

Ariel thought it over in head, she definitely didn't like this girl, she knew that, but what was the rest of the team going to think if she let the best audition of the day walk right out the door. "Wait..." She began, rolling her eyes and grinding her teeth. She really didn't want to do this. "I _guess _our team could use you. You're on the squad. Be at practice on Monday, 7am sharp, or I won't hesitate to kick your ass to the curb. Let's go, Liv."

Ariel and Olivia made their way to the exit, the captain nudging Ava in the shoulder as she passed.

"Great job." Olivia whispered while giving the junior a thumbs up. Ava smiled at her gesture.

After the two girls were outside of the gymnasium and into the hallway, they ran into Riley and Danny, who were just getting ready to go home after a long day at football tryouts.

"Hey Danny," Olivia greeted, "how'd tryouts go? Did you make the team?"

"Oh, yeah, I did." Danny replied, exited that Olivia was even talking to him.

"Yep, you're looking at the starting running back for the McKinley Titans." Riley said, excitedly. "I'm telling you, State's got our name written all over it."

"That is if you ever get that sling off, Riley." Ariel responded.

"Funny you should mention that A, because I'm actually headed to the doctor's right now to get it removed." Riley stated while glancing at his watch. "Oh, which means I probably shouldn't be late. I'll catch you guys later." He sent a quick wave to his friends and then was out the door.

***** Stereo Hearts *****

Riley Evans was sitting in a room at the hospital, waiting for the doctor to show up, and fiddling with the sling on his arm. The nurse had just left from checking his vitals and said the doctor would be in shortly. After a few useful minutes passed, the door finally opened.

"Hi, Riley. Dr. Benson is out sick today, so I'll be filling in for him, I hope that's okay. I'm Dr. Fabray." Quinn said while slinging a stethoscope around her neck. "So, you just need your sling taken off, right?"

"Uh, yeah, that's it." Riley replied.

"Okay, just give me one second." Quinn responded before heading over to the counter and sorting through a bunch of papers. "Sorry, today's my first day here, I'm not very organized, yet."

"Oh, did you just get out of med school?" The junior asked.

Quinn chuckled. "I only wish I was that young, again. I actually just transferred from a hospital in Columbus. I was head of the Peds department over there."

"Why'd you leave?" Riley asked, curiously.

Quinn couldn't help but laugh again. "You ask a lot of questions, don't you?" She said with a smile. "Well, not that it's all that interesting, but I grew up here. All of my friends live in Lima, and I thought it would be nice to see them again. You know, I was actually surprised when you're name showed up on my desk. You're dad was my friend way back in high school."

"Really? Were you friends with my mom, too?"

"No, she was two grades below me and went to a different school. I did meet her at a few show choir competitions, though." Quinn answered.

"No way, you were in Glee Club?" Riley questioned.

"Is that so surprising?" Quinn asked.

"No, it's just, I love that club. I've been a part of it since freshman year and it's probably one of the funnest things I've ever done."

"Ha, I should've figured the son of Harmony and Sam Evans would be a good singer." Quinn replied. "Anyway, let's get that sling off, shall we?" Riley held his arm out for the doctor to take, and Quinn carefully removed the sling, examining his arm to make sure there were no bruises. "You're arm seems to have healed up nicely. I don't think you need an x-ray. So Mr. Evans, mind I ask how you sprained your arm in the first place?" Quinn asked, leaning back against the counter.

"I was doing flips on my dirt bike and accidentally fell off. I flew about six feet in the air before I hit the ground." The boy explained.

"Oh god, boy's these days. My son's the exact same way." Quinn said. "Just try to be a little more careful, alright? I don't want to see you back in here tomorrow with a broken leg."

"I'll keep that in mind." Riley slipped back on his cardigan and stood up from the hospital bed. "Thanks Dr. Fabray."

"No problem." She replied with a smile. "Oh, and Riley, you should tell your mom and dad to give me a call. It'd be nice to catch up over dinner or something."

"Sure, I'll tell them when I get home. Have a nice day." Riley waved goodbye to his doctor and Quinn returned the gesture. She didn't know it then, but this wasn't the last time she was going to see this boy, not by a long shot.

***** Stereo Hearts *****

_Thursday, September 2, 2032 - Day 2_

Dorothy Smythe-Hummel walked into her 2nd period gym class, where freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors were all roaming around, waiting for the coaches to come out and tell them to be seated. Dorothy couldn't spot any of her friends from middle school in there, and that scared her a little bit. She already wasn't considered the most popular person in the world, she was actually pretty socially awkward, so the idea of having to make friends with upperclassman was an intimidating thought. What if she was always picked last for the teams, how humiliating would that be?

Yet, Dorothy decided to swallow her fear, and go at this situation head on. She walked up to the first person she saw and introduced herself.

"Hi, I'm Dorothy." She said, excitedly, to a girl in tight leather pants, a cut-off shirt, and black high-heels, with a nose and lip piercing. Come to think of it, Dorothy couldn't help but think that maybe this wasn't such a great idea. The way that girl was looking at her made it seem like she was about douse her in gasoline and then light a match.

The goth girl eyed the freshman up and down, "Talk to me again and I'll kick your ass." Her friends began snickering and Dorothy felt a little embarrassed.

"Hey, Evian, she doesn't want to talk to you anyway." Another girl interrupted. She was dressed like a tomboy, wearing ripped jeans, a plaid shirt, and sneakers. The only reason Dorothy could really tell that she was a girl was because she had long, gorgeous, dark brown hair. "In fact, neither does anyone else at this school." She continued.

"Shut it, Patty." The goth retorted. "You're one to talk. Everyone knows that the only reason you even have friends is because your brother's the most popular guy in school."

"Hey, how many times do I have to tell you? It's either Patricia or nothing!" The girl shouted.

"Fine, from now on you're nothing." Evian said, receiving praise from her friends.

"Oh yeah, real freaking original!" Patricia exclaimed. "At least my parents didn't name me after bottled water." With that, one of the goth girl's friends glanced at the water bottle she was holding, and quickly hid it behind her back.

Evian lunged at Patricia, but before she could reach her, a boy stepped in and pulled Patricia away by the waist, creating separation between the two flustered girls. "Hey, that's enough." He said.

"Thank you, Gabriel." One of the gym teachers expressed sweetly. "Patricia, Evian, I think you two and I need to have a serious talk about proper behavior during school hours." The woman ushered the two girls over to the corner of the gym, planning on having a very stern conversation.

"Hey, thanks." Dorothy said to the boy. "I didn't want to be in the middle of that cat fight."

"Don't mention it." The boy replied with a smile. "I'm Gabe."

"Dorothy. In case you couldn't tell, but I'm a freshman."

"Yeah, I kind of figured that." Gabe proclaimed. "No one would willingly talk to Evian Simpson if they knew who she was."

"I have to admit, that was probably a mistake." Dorothy said with a laugh.

Just then, the rest of the gym teachers walked out and told the students to take a seat on the bleachers. Gabe ran off to sit with his friends in the top row, while Dorothy sat down in the front. Soon after, Patricia came over and took a seat next to the freshman.

"Hey, mind if I sit here?" She asked.

"Sure." Dorothy replied, not wanting to be rude. The girl did stick up for her after all.

A few minutes after the teachers began speaking, Patricia opened her mouth once again, this time at a whisper level.

"So I saw you talking to Gabe earlier while "Coach Killjoy" was reprimanding me." She began. "Just a word to the wise, it's probably best to stay away from him. That boy has "player" written all over him. He flirts with girls, dates them for two seconds, and then hangs them out to dry. Not to mention he's an arrogant jerk."

"Wow, is that all?" Dorothy asked in disbelief. She didn't get that vibe from him at all.

"Oh, he's also been in juvy." Patricia added. "Twice."

Dorothy took a moment to take that all in. She then looked up to where Gabe was sitting, and just like Patricia had said, he was flirting with a girl and playing with her hair. Dorothy never understood why some guys were players, whether it be because she never really got to know any of them or was just too naive to notice them, but she had a feeling that there was a reason behind it. Maybe if she could just become friends with Gabe, she would figure out why he is the way he is. After all, high school's all about broadening your horizons and meeting new people, so what's so bad about stepping out of your comfort zone and befriending someone you never expected to? It was settled in Dorothy's mind, she was going to make as many friends as she could this year. And she was going to start by joining the club she had wanted to be a part of since she got here...Glee Club.

***** Stereo Hearts *****

Darrell Puckerman was in the choir room, practicing the piano and trying to think of possible songs he could sing for his Glee Club audition. Ever since Darrell was a little kid, he'd been singing and playing music. With his mother being a well-known studio producer, performing was sort of in his blood. He spent most of his days and nights practicing the guitar and piano, working on his dance moves, and writing music.

Darrell played the first few opening lines of "Apologize" by One Republic until he realized that was not the song he wanted to sing. He lowered his head and rested it on the piano keys, he was getting tired of trying to pick through all these songs, there were just too many to choose from.

"Having some trouble?" Came a women's voice from the doorway. Darrell looked up to see who it was, and was surprised with who he was met with.

"Mom?" Darrell said, confused. "What are you doing here?"

"I thought I'd have lunch with Marley." Mercedes replied. "See how her first day at McKinley went. Then I ran into you."

"Oh." The junior watched as his mother took a seat down next to him on the piano bench. "Well, since you're here, have any suggestions about what I should sing for Glee Club auditions?"

"I've got a few songs up my sleeve." Mercedes said while rolling up her sleeves. She arranged her fingers on the piano keys, and began playing the opening notes to the song.

_If I could write you a song to make you fall in love_  
_I would already have you up under my arm._  
_I used up all of my tricks, I hope that you like this_  
_But you probably won't, you think you're cooler than me._

Darrell took over playing the piano, while Mercedes got up from the piano bench, grabbing her son's sunglasses on the way. She placed them over her own eyes, and continued singing.

_You got designer shades just to hide your face and_  
_You wear 'em around like you're cooler than me._  
_And you never say "hey" or remember my name_  
_And it's probably 'cause you think you're cooler than me._

Darrell put a lot of energy and fun into the piano solo before taking the next two verses. Performing was such a treat for him, he couldn't imagine loving anything else more.

_You got your high brow, shoes on your feet_  
_And you wear 'em around like it ain't shit._  
_But you don't know the way that you look_  
_When your steps make that much noise._

_Shh, see I got you all figured out_  
_You need every one's eyes just to feel seen._  
_Behind your make up nobody knows who you even are_  
_Who do you think that you are?_

Mercedes sat back down on the piano bench, and they both finished the chorus together.

_If I could write you a song to make you fall in love_  
_I would already have you up under my arm._  
_I used up all of my tricks, I hope that you like this_  
_But you probably won't, you think you're cooler than me._

_You got designer shades just to hide your face and_  
_You wear 'em around like you're cooler than me._  
_And you never say "hey" or remember my name_  
_And it's probably 'cause you think you're cooler than me._

Darrell played the last note on the piano and the song was over. He always loved having jam sessions with his mom. She always brought so much energy and sass to every performance, it was really helpful to watch.

"Well, I should probably be getting back to the studio. I have a one o'clock." Mercedes informed. "Don't stress so much about what song to sing, it's the performance and the amount of passion you put into it that really counts. I'm sure you'll do great."

"Thanks, mom." Darrell gave his mom a hug, and then she was out the door, back to the studio. He turned back around towards the piano; he was pretty sure he knew what song he was going to sing for Glee Club now.

***** Stereo Hearts *****

Patricia Evans was sitting with some of the other girls from the hockey team, who at the moment were having an arm wrestling contest, eating a turkey and cheese sandwich, along with an apple, rice crispie treat, and a carton of milk. Patricia has always been a tomboy, for as long as she can remember. She always wanted to do whatever her dad was doing, and that included playing hockey. Whenever her mother even tried to get her to sit down and watch a musical, she was always pulling out a sports magazine five minutes later and completely forgetting about the movie.

It's not that Patricia resented the fact of being a girly girl, it's just that she grew up with Sam as her best friend, not to mention a brother who did every sport from football to motocross. Those two were always rough housing around the house, and Riley was really the first person to teach her that it didn't matter what other people thought, as long as you liked who you were, that was the most important thing. I guess you could say her family influenced her a lot, and that's why she is the way she is today.

While taking a bite of her sandwich, Gabe Lopez-Pierce came over and tapped her on the shoulder.

Patricia turned around and immediately rolled her eyes. "If you're looking for my brother I don't know where he is."

"No, I'm actually here to talk to you." Gabe clarified while taking a seat at the lunch table. "Hello, ladies." He greeted the other hockey players.

Patricia smacked him in the arm, and Gabe visibly winced. "Why do you need to talk to me?"

"I wanted to know if you'd cover for me tonight."

"Why? So you can go to your stupid fight club?" Patricia asked. Gabe had only told three people about his secret activity on Thursday nights, one of them being his best friend, Riley. But you know how little sisters are, Patricia had accidentally overheard them talking about it one night in her brother's bedroom, and Riley had to pretty much bribe her not to tell anyone. "Why don't you just ask Riley to do it?"

"He won't be home tonight." Gabe explained. "He has football practice until 5, and then he has motocross practice until 8:30."

"Then ask one of your other friends. Oh wait...you do have some, right?" Patricia asked, sarcastically.

"Very funny." Gabe deadpanned. "They're all busy tonight, too. And I can't use the normal excuse of going on a date because my parents have some dumb family thing planned for tonight, so I need a really good reason for not being there."

"And what important thing would you have to do with me?" The sophomore questioned, finding a flaw in his genius plan.

"School project?"

"On the second day of school? Yeah, that's real believable." Patricia scoffed.

"Well, I don't know. You think of something then." Gabe complained.

"I don't have to think of anything." Patricia retorted. "It's not my problem." With that, she picked up her lunch tray and stood up from the lunch table. "I'll see you girls later." Then she looked to Gabe, "You're my brother's friend, not mine. Maybe you could just skip it for tonight, spend time with your family, I don't know."

On the other side of the cafeteria, near the serving tables, Dorothy Smythe-Hummel was going through the lunch line. She had ended up skipping breakfast, so she had really worked up in an appetite since then. She decided on a sub sandwich, potato chips, a cup of strawberries, and an apple juice. When she reached the check-out woman, she pulled out her lunch card and slid it through the machine. A loud "Ernn!" noise came after it, and Dorothy looked confused.

"Is something wrong?" She asked.

"You don't seem to have any money in your lunch account." The check-out woman said.

"Oh, my dads must have forget to enter money into my account. Is there any chance I could just pay for it tomorrow? I'm starving."

"Let me check with the supervisor." The woman replied, about to walk away.

"It's okay, I got it." A boy said from behind her, pulling out a five dollar bill. He seemed to be the next person in line.

"Oh, you really don't have to do that." Dorothy said, appreciating the boy's gesture, but not wanting to cause him any trouble.

"Nah, it's fine. Karma right?" He added, inferring that if you do something nice for someone else, you will be repaid for your good deed. "You can just put the rest of it into my lunch account." He said to the woman behind the counter.

After they were both done paying for their meals, the boy gestured for Dorothy to follow him to his lunch table. He took a seat down at the table, and Dorothy sat down across from him. "Hey, thanks for helping me back there, it was really nice." Dorothy said.

"Hey, don't mention it." He replied. "I'm Elijah, by the way, but you can call me Eli."

"Dorothy." The freshman introduced.

"Like from the Wizard of Oz." Eli thought. "That's such a great movie."

"Yeah, it is." Dorothy said with a smile. "Hey, what's this?" She asked, picking up the notebook he had next to his tray. "Did you draw this?" It was a caricature of one of the lunch ladies, and she was berating a few kids for stealing too many mozzarella sticks, thinking to herself, "I'm too old for this shit."

Eli just laughed. "Yeah, my notebook is filled with drawings like that." He watched as Dorothy flipped through the pages, smiling at the pictures inside.

"These are amazing. Do you plan on becoming an artist?"

"Nah, drawing is just a hobby of mine." Eli responded. "What I really want to do with my life is form a band and tour all over the world. Either that, or perform on Broadway."

"Wait, you're a singer? So am I!" Dorothy exclaimed, maybe a little too loudly. "Are you in Glee Club?"

"Have been since freshman year. This will be my second year in the club." The sophomore replied, proudly.

"Oh my god, I'm trying out for Glee Club!" She shouted, yet again. "Sorry, I just get really excited when people love music just as much as I do."

"It's cool. I like that about you. It shows you're not afraid to be yourself." Eli said.

"Well, maybe we could sit together during auditions?" Dorothy suggested.

"Sure," The sophomore agreed, "sounds like a plan." The two new friends finished their lunch together, laughing at a few more drawings from Elijah's notebook.

***** Stereo Hearts *****

Alexander Chang was outside on the football field, under the bleachers, smoking a cigarette with one of his best friends, Marlow Puckerman. These two were known for doing this a lot; ditching class to cause trouble, whether it be to smoke under the bleachers, start a fight, or defile one of the teacher's cars. While Alex was more laid-back and chill, Marlow was very sassy and sarcastic, in a witty way. They balanced each other out fairly nicely, but were both still known for their streaks of rebellion.

Alex finished off his cigarette, threw it in the grass, and immediately lit another one. "You ever think about what you're going to do when we get out of here?" Alex asked, exhaling a puff of smoke.

Marlow just chuckled. "Not really. I can already see my future unfolding right in front of me. I'll probably graduate with my G.E.D., not have the grades to attend college, and end up working at Burt's Tire Shop for the rest of my life."

"Don't you have more confidence in yourself than that?" Her friend questioned. "Just because most of the people here don't expect you to amount to much, doesn't mean you have to think that way too. You're talented enough to get out of this crummy town, don't throw that all away just because of some bitchy girls in high school."

"It's not just them though, Alex. Without even getting to know me, everyone assumed I was bad news, just based on my last name. So what did they do? They made fun of me, called me names, made me feel like crap. Sorry, but, if this is who everyone expects me to be, I'm going to make damn sure they fear me because of it."

"So you're just going to waste your life away, huh? Prove those people right? Yeah, that'll show them." Alex just shook his head, and stood up from the grass. He was tired of his friend always treating herself like she wasn't as important as everyone else, because she was.

"Hey, you're one to talk. You're no better than me." Marlow retorted.

"I never said I was." Alex quipped back. "But at least I go out there and I try. I don't succumb to whatever somebody else wants me to be."

Marlow opened her mouth to fire something back, but nothing came out. She slowly closed her mouth, then opened it again, only to have the same thing happen for a second time.

"I'm not trying to make you feel bad, Mars." Alex said. "It's just...maybe you should think about why you're doing this. Is it really because you like being a badass, or is it just easier to act like you don't care because you're scared people won't accept the real you?"

Marlow thought it over for a moment, she didn't want to believe that her friend was right, but he did have a point. One of her biggest flaws was pushing people away out of fear of getting close to them and then getting hurt. "Damn, Alex, when did you become Dr. Phil?" The junior asked with a smirk.

"What can I say? I just want to see the best for you." Alex replied, and his comment couldn't help Marlow from giving him a hug.

"Oh, am I interrupting something?" Gabe asked, leaning against one of the legs of the bleachers.

At the sound of his voice, Marlow immediately separated from Alex and greeted her friend. "Hi, Gabe." She said with a smile much larger than before.

"What are you guys doing?"

"Smoking a cig." Alex replied. "Didn't feel like going to gym today."

"Right, that seems to be a normal occurrence for you." Gabe responded. "Anyway, I know you already said you were busy tonight Marlow, but do you think I could tell my parents I'm working with you at Burt's Tire Shop until late tonight? I've already asked Riley and Patricia if they could cover for me, but they said they couldn't."

"Wait, why'd you ask her?" Marlow asked, considering she had been holding a grudge for Patricia Evans since like...ever.

"Because she's Riley's sister and I thought she would help, but of course, she didn't. So now I really need one of you guys to do it."

Marlow let out a large huff. Every time that boy asked for something, it was only a matter of time before she gave in. "Alright, but you owe me."

"Oh, thanks, you're the best." He said, patting her on the shoulder. "Hey, I'll see you guys later, okay? I'm going to hit the weight room before fight club tonight. Thanks again, Blondie. I don't know what I'd do without you." With that, Gabe was gone as soon as he had came.

Marlow watched as he left, wanting to say so many things to him, but not having the courage to say even one.

"Are you ever going to tell him how you feel?" Alex asked, eyeing his friend's reaction.

The junior turned around and looked at Alex, "Guys like Gabe don't date girls like me."

"Why not?"

"Because I know him too well." Marlow simply put. "He hates relationships like that."

***** Stereo Hearts *****

Tina Chang was having lunch in the conference room at the hospital, when Quinn walked through the door with a salad in her hand and took a seat down next to her.

"Hi, Tina." She greeted, happily.

"Well someone is in a good mood, mind explaining?" Tina asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, it's just one of my patients." Quinn explained. "She's the sweetest little 8-year-old girl, and she's had some severe cancer for a few years now, but she's finally starting to get better."

"Aw, good for her." Tina smiled, she always loved hearing about kids pulling through. "But to be honest, for a second I was hoping you were smiling about a guy."

"Oh, god, what is it with you and everyone else wanting me to jump back into the dating scene. Can't I just stay single for a while?"

"You have been single, for a long time Quinn." Tina reminded. "In fact, I can't even remember the last time I saw you with a serious boyfriend. You're still young, you should be out there showing the men what they're missing."

"You don't think I've tried to meet guys? I have, but it's kind of hard juggling a full-time career along with two teenage kids." Quinn defended.

"Quinn, your kids should be one of the things encouraging you to get back out there. I could understand why you didn't have time to date while they were younger, but they're teenagers now, they can take care of themselves." Tina said. "I think you're scared of dating again because every time you've been in a relationship it's ended badly. You just have a fear of getting hurt again, that's all it is."

"So what if I do? Since when is that a bad thing?" Quinn asked. "At least I know my heart's safe."

"Everyone's heart is safe if they never take a risk." Tina informed. "All I'm saying is think about it, don't completely rule out the possibility of dating again. Maybe someone will surprise you."

Just then, Tina's cellphone starting ringing, and she saw that it was the school's phone number. "Hello?" She answered.

_"Hi, Ms. Chang, this is Will Shuester._"

"Oh, hi Will, is everything okay?" Tina asked.

_"Actually, we seem to have a situation on our hands. One of the teachers caught Alex smoking behind the bleachers today when he was supposed to be in class."_

"What?" Tina explained, and it made Quinn jump. She started to wonder what was wrong.

_"Don't start thinking the worst yet." Will said. "I've come up with a solution you might be open to. I was thinking that Alex could join the Glee Club. I know how helpful it was for you guys, and I think it would have a really positive influence on his behavior in school."_

"Oh Will, I would appreciate it so much if you do that. I don't know what'd I do if he was suspended."

_"It's no problem. I know how kids can be." He replied. "But I would suggest some sort of punishment while he's home."_

"Oh, don't worry. He's going to hear an earful when he gets home." Tina assured. "Actually, is he with you right now?"

_"Yeah."_

"Do you mind if I speak with him?"

_"Go ahead." Will handed the phone over to Alex, and he slammed his eyes shut before putting the phone to his ear._

_"Hello?" He answered._

"You are grounded for an eternity when you get home, Alexander Oliver Chang." Tina said, sternly. "Your father and I are going to have a serious talk about your behavior." Quinn even seemed a little frightened by the way her friend was speaking. "Now, I love you. Stay out of trouble." Tina ended the phone call and set her phone down on the table.

"So much for teenagers being able to take care of themselves." Quinn mumbled while sipping from the straw in her orange juice.

"Don't even start with me, Fabray."

***** Stereo Hearts *****

Marlow Puckerman walked into her 6th period English class, late I may add, and didn't even show recognition to the teacher's disappointed expression while making her way to her seat.

"Excuse me, Ms. Puckerman," The teacher interrupted, "mind telling me where you've been for the past 45 minutes? And is that smoke I smell on your clothes?"

"Oh, no, it's probably just this." Marlow said, pulling out a lit cigarette from behind her back and showing it to the teacher. Most of the students in the classroom gasped, surprised by the girl's boldness, while others snickered.

"Ms. Puckerman, you know smoking is not allowed on the premises. I'm going to have to report you to the principal." The teacher said sternly.

"Or you could just let it slide Mrs. Turner. I mean, after all, you wouldn't want your husband finding out about what you do every Saturday night while he's a work, would you?" This left the teacher speechless, along with opened jaws from most of the kids in class. "I didn't think so. Now, I'm feeling kind of sick at the moment, so I think I'm going to go home and take a nap. I'm sure you don't mind."

With that, Marlow walked out of the classroom, smirking as she left. That teacher should really learn to mind her own business.

***** Stereo Hearts *****

Marley Puckerman walked down the halls of McKinley to the large bulletin boards near the main entrance. She had only put up the Glee Club sign-up sheet yesterday, and only knew for sure that her daughter had signed-up, but for some strange reason, she felt like the club was going to be very popular this year, considering the kids that were currently in it. Marley reached the sign-up sheet, and was very pleased with what she saw.

_**Glee Club Sign-Up Sheet - Auditions are this Friday!**_

_Sign-Up Here!_

_Isabella Puckerman_

_Daniel Fabray_

_Ava Fabray_

_Maria Lopez-Pierce_

_Dorothy Smythe-Hummel_

_Alexander Chang_

She had a feeling this was going to be a really good year.

***** Stereo Hearts *****


	2. Family Game Night

**A/N: These auditions are somewhat like cut scenes, so you'll get to hear only a small portion of the song and then a few people's comments. Not much, but at least you'll get some type of idea of what their genre is like.**

*****Stereo Hearts*****

_Friday, September 3, 2032 - Day 3_

Marley Puckerman, along with the other nine members of the Glee Club, were sitting in the choir room, excited to hear everyone's auditions. Six people had signed up since Wednesday, some with the help of fellow members, so they were all ready to see what kind of new voices they had in store for this year.

Audition #1

"Hi, I'm Dorothy Smythe-Hummel and I'll be singing "The Wizard and I" from the Broadway musical classic, Wicked."

_And I'll stand there with the Wizard,_  
_Feeling things I've never felt_  
_And though I'd never show it,_  
_I'd be so happy, I could melt!_  
_And so it will be_  
_For the rest of my life,_  
_And I'll want nothing else_  
_Till I die_  
_Held in such high esteem_  
_When people see me, they will scream_  
_For half of Oz's favorite team;_  
_The Wizard_  
_And I!_

Dorothy exhaled with a deep breath after executing such a long note, and smiled as everyone in the room applauded for her.

"Damn, you got big pipes for such a small girl." Darrell commented.

"I agree, you tore that song a new one!" Patricia exclaimed.

Audition #2

"Hey, what's up? I'm Alex, and I'm going to sing "Bad Boy" by Bigbang."

_**English translations are in bold:**_

_Niga saranghaneun naneun sorry I'm a bad boy **(I'm the one you love but sorry I'm a bad boy)**_  
_Geurae charari tteona jalgayo you're a good girl **(Yes, just leave me, good bye, you're a good girl)**_  
_Sigani galsurok,_ _nal almyeoneun alsurok, **(**__The more time passes, the more you get to know me,)_  
_silmangman namatgetjiman **(**__only disappointments will remain_** but)**

"What's he saying?" Danny asked, whispering to Riley.

"I have no idea." Riley whispered back. "Let's just go with it."

_Baby don't leave me i know you still love me **(Baby don't leave me, I know you still love me)**_  
_Wae geurae soljikhi na malhae niga pillyohae **(Why, yes, I'll tell you the truth, I need you)**_  
_My lay lay lay lay lady **(**__My lay lay lay lay lady)_  
_My lay lay lay lay lady **(**__My lay lay lay lay lady)_

_Niga saranghaneun naneun sorry I'm a bad boy **(**__I'm the one you love but sorry I'm a bad boy)_  
_Sorry I'm a bad boy, sorry I'm a bad boy **(**__Sorry I'm a bad boy, sorry I'm a bad boy)_  
_Geurae charari tteona jal gayo you're a good girl **(**__Yes, just leave me, good bye, you're a good girl)_  
_You're a good girl, you're a good girl **(**__Yes, just leave me, good bye, you're a good girl)_

"Well, although I didn't understand anything you were saying, I still enjoyed the performance." Eli said with a smile.

"I liked that you sang that song in Japanese, it shows off our club's diversity." Marlow added.

Audition #3

"Hi everyone, I'm Ava Fabray and-"

"Get on with it!" Ariel interrupted. She was in the back row, resting her feet up on an empty chair and filing her nails. Marley just scolded the junior.

"And I'll be singing "Amazing" by Janelle."

_I hope your tears are few and fast_  
_I hope your dreams come true at last_  
_I hope you find love that goes on and on and on and on and on_  
_I hope you wish on every star_  
_I hope you never fall too far_  
_I hope this world can see how wonderful you are_

_You're so amazing you shine like the stars_  
_You're so amazing the beauty you are_  
_You came blazing right into my heart_  
_You're so amazing you are..._  
_You are_

"Boring." Ariella deadpanned. "Who's next?"

"Hey, don't listen to her. I thought it was really good." Olivia complimented.

Audition #4

"Hey guys, name's Danny Fabray and I'm singing Bon Jovi's hit song, "It's My Life."

_This ain't a song for the broken-hearted _  
_No silent prayer for the faith-departed _  
_I ain't gonna be just a face in the crowd _  
_You're gonna hear my voice _  
_When I shout it out loud_

_It's my life _  
_It's now or never _  
_I ain't gonna live forever _  
_I just want to live while I'm alive _  
_(It's my life) _  
_My heart is like an open highway _  
_Like Frankie said _  
_I did it my way _  
_I just wanna live while I'm alive _  
_It's my life_

"Total rockstar-worthy performance, dude. Great job." Gabe said.

"Yeah, not to mention you looked kind of hot while doing it." Ariel pointed out, winking at the boy.

Audition #5

"Now, usually in this situation I would make some comment about saving the best for last, but seeing as how Ugly Betty over there still has to perform yet, I'll just us it for another time. Anyway, I'm Maria and I'm singing "Want U Back" by Cher Lloyd."

_Boy you can say anything you wanna  
I don't give a shh, no one else can have ya  
I want you back  
I want you back  
Wa-want you, want you back  
Uh_

Riley scooted back a couple of inches in his chair, scared by the way Maria was staring him down.

_I broke it off thinking you'd be cryin'  
Now I feel like shh looking at you flyin'  
I want you back  
I want you back  
Wa-want you, want you back  
Uh_

"Well, other than Riley, was anyone else extremely uncomfortable during this performance?" Patricia asked.

Almost everyone in the choir room raised their hand.

Audition #6

"Hi, I'm Isabella Puckerman and I'll be singing "Hallelujah" by the very talented Leonard Cohen. I hope you don't mind if I play it on electric guitar."

_I've heard there was a secret chord  
That David played, and it pleased the Lord  
But you don't really care for music, do you?  
It goes like this  
The fourth, the fifth  
The minor fall, the major lift  
The baffled king composing Hallelujah_

_Hallelujah, Hallelujah_  
_Hallelujah, Hallelujah_  
_Hallelujah, Hallelujah_  
_Hallelujah, Hallelujah_  
_Hallelujah, Hallelujah_  
_Hallelujah, Hallelujah_  
_Hallelujah, Hallelujah_  
_Hallelujah, Hallelujah_  
_Hallelujah_

"Oh wow, I'm literally tearing up. Bravo!" Dorothy exclaimed, giving the girl a standing ovation.

"Great job, honey." Marley said, patting her daughter on the back. "Well, I think that pretty much wraps up auditions. First official rehearsal will be on Tuesday. You guys have a great weekend."

Everyone got up from their seats and began to exit the choir room.

"Oh, and don't forget it's family game night at my house tonight." Olivia reminded. "Be there by 7 if you're coming."

"What's family game night?" Danny asked, so only Riley could hear.

"Oh, it's something Liv's parents have every Friday night. You should come, it's really fun."

"Is it just for kids?"

"No, parents can come too. So don't forget to ask your mom." Riley said. "Hey, I got to get going. I'll see you at 7."

*****Stereo Hearts*****

Kurt and Sebastian were outside in their backyard, adding the last few boxes of lights to their house for decoration, while Olivia and Dorothy filled the picnic table with all kinds of food, from egg salad sandwiches to puppy chow mix. People were due to arrive in the next five minutes, and the Smythe-Hummels wanted to make sure everything was ready for when their friends showed up.

A few more minutes passed, until people finally started making their way to the backyard. The first family to arrive were the Westons, and Rachel immediately went to hug Kurt, while Ariella dove into a conversation with Olivia. It sort of just became a domino effect after that. The next to show up were both Puckerman families, then the Changs, followed by the Shuesters, Lopez-Pierces, and Abrams' clans.

"Hey, is everyone almost here?" Kurt asked, excited to start this week's family game night.

"Yeah, we're just waiting on the Evans and Fabrays." Mercedes said.

[Cut to the front yard]

Riley and Patricia, along with their parents, came up the right side of the sidewalk, while Quinn and her kids came from the left, and the two families met in the middle, right in front of the Smythe-Hummel's front porch.

"Hey, Quinn." Sam greeted.

"Hi, Sam. Long time, no see." She replied with a smile.

"Yeah, it sure has been. How was Columbus?" Sam asked.

"Oh, you know, same old, same old." Quinn said. "Nothing really worth repeating."

"Sounds exciting. And who would these two teenagers be?" He questioned while glancing to Quinn's kids.

"These are my kids, Danny and Ava."

"It's nice to meet you Mr. Evans." Danny said, shaking the man's hand.

"Same goes for you." Sam responded. "Quinn, this is my daughter, Patricia, and I assume you've already met my son, Riley."

"Oh yeah, we go way back." Quinn replied with a laugh. "How's that arm doing?"

"Better, thanks." Riley said. "How's that organizing coming?"

"Ah, so you remembered. Well, since you asked, my office is actually a lot tidier since the last time you saw it." She boasted, and Riley just chuckled.

"Well, shall we head in?" Harmony suggested.

"After you." Quinn offered, gesturing for the Evans to go first.

[Cut to the backyard]

Santana was inspecting a rather suspicious looking chicken wing when she saw Quinn walk through the screen door and onto the patio. "Well as I live and breathe, if it isn't Quinn freaking Fabray! My sister from another mister. Get over here and give me a hug!"

Quinn just rolled her eyes and walked over to Santana, enveloping her long-time friend and in a much-anticipated hug. Shortly after, Brittany joined in on the reunion, and even lifted both girls off the ground.

"God, I missed you guys so much." Quinn said, happy to see them again.

"The feelings mutual, trust me. Rachel was driving me crazy without you here to help me make fun of her." Santana replied. "But that, my friend, is officially over because the Unholy Trinity is back, bitches!"

"Santana, there are children around." Rachel scolded.

"Shut it, Weston. Quinn just moved back. This calls for a celebration!" Santana grabbed a bottle of champagne off the picnic table and popped it open. "Who wants a glass?"

All the parents raised their hand, along with Alex Chang, to which Tina just shook her head. "You are so pushing it, boy." She warned.

After everyone had a chance to reminisce and catch up, Kurt thought it would be a good time to announce what game they would be playing tonight. "Excuse me everyone, can I have your attention?" He interrupted. "Now is usually the time we reveal what the game of the week is, so if you could all gather around, we can get started."

All the parents dropped what they were doing, while Riley, Darrell, Gabe, and Danny ceased their basketball game; Isabella, Drew, Dorothy, and Eli turned off the Broadway music they were listening to; Ariella, Olivia, and Maria quit practicing their cheerleading moves; Patricia and Ava jumped off the swings; and Marlow and Alex picked up their card game.

"Okay, tonight's game of the week is...drum roll please," Sebastian started a drum roll on his knees, "a bean bag tournament!" Kurt shouted. "Now, the way this is going to work, is that each teenager is going to partner up with an adult, and they'll become one team. Then we'll set up a winner's and loser's bracket, and depending on whether you win your game or not, that will decide where you go to in the brackets. At the end of the tournament, the overall winner will receive a special prize. Any questions?"

"Yeah, how do we know which team we're on?" Darrell asked.

"Well, this week we decided to go by age. So the oldest kid will get to pick which parent they want first. Olivia, that means you're up first. Who do you want as your partner?" Kurt questioned. "Oh, and Sebastian and I aren't playing, along with Will and Emma, so the numbers are equal."

"Why aren't you guys playing?" Olivia asked her dad.

"We just thought we'd supervise, honey. Make sure everyone is having a good time." Sebastian replied.

"Oh, okay." Olivia said. "In that case, I guess I'll go with Mike."

"Alright, great choice. Marlow, I think that means you're up next." Kurt recalled.

"Awesome!" The junior replied. "Sam, I think I'm going to have to go with you."

"Hmm...Artie looks pretty smart in those glasses. Maybe he'll give me the strategic edge." Darrell thought.

"Well, Quinn looks like she's dying for me to pick her so...get over here." Riley waved her over, and Quinn rolled her eyes, finding the boy's comment amusing.

It was Alex's turn next. "Let's hope a spoonful of sugar helps the bean bags go down, too. Sugar, I'm choosing you."

"Very clever, but I'd pick bronze over beauty any day. I think Puck, you're my guy." Patricia said.

"Please, it doesn't matter who you pick, everyone knows I'm going to win." Ariella replied. "And Santana's going to help me do it."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." Danny interrupted. "I think Brody and I will make a pretty good team."

"That is if Tina and I don't make a better one." Ava responded, ready to challenge her twin brother.

"Oh, and the competition's already starting to get heavy." Kurt noticed. "Drew, picking a partner may be very crucial to winning this game. Who's it going to be?"

"Well, considering I suck at bean bag toss, and Marley seems like the nicest person here, I know she won't get mad at me if we lose, so I'm going to pick her."

"Um...well Brittany seems pretty coordinated, so let's hope her throwing accuracy is just as good." Eli pleaded.

"Wise theory, but I'm obviously going to have to go with Jake." Gabe said.

"Great, that means I can still choose Harmony!" Dorothy cheered.

"As long as I get Rachel." Isabella beamed.

"You guys don't know how to pick partners, do you? Mercedes is diva enough to talk you all into forfeiting." Maria declared.

"Okay, I think that's a sign that the claws are officially coming out." Kurt said. "So it's time to put your money where your mouth is. Let's get this tournament started!"

*****Stereo Hearts*****

_Round 1: Bella and Rachel vs. Ariella and Santana_

Bella and Rachel were practicing their throwing skills before facing off against Ariel and Santana, and the freshman thought it would be a good moment to capitalize on her one-on-one time with the famous actress and singer. She had admired Rachel ever since she was a little kid and attended one of her unforgettable Broadway performances.

"Hey, Rachel," Bella hesitated, "I was wondering if I could ask you a question?"

"Oh, sorry honey, I only take questions if they're scheduled a week in advance before a press conference." Rachel replied, and Bella looked really confused. That was until the actress laughed. "I'm just kidding. What's on your mind?"

Bella took a moment to collect her thoughts, realizing that Rachel was just joking, and then continued. "I was just curious, what made you want to become a singer? Like, how did you know that that's what you were supposed to do with your life?"

"Hmm..." Rachel thought as she stroked her chin, "I think it's just a feeling. Like, when you're singing, you just get this sensation in your body that's better than anything else you've ever experienced. Why, do you think singing is what you want to pursue?"

"In a sense." Bella replied. "I actually really want to attend Julliard and become a music composer."

"Wow, those are some big dreams." Rachel pointed out. "So may I offer you a bit of advice?"

"I'd be honored if you would." Bella said, holding a hand to her heart, shocked that the award-winning actress wanted to help someone like her.

"Don't let people bring you down, okay? Because I know first hand how cruel and jealous some people can be in high school. Trust me, I've lived through it. So just promise me one thing. If you're really serious about this composing thing, don't ever give up. Just shut out all the bad things people say about you and all the terrible names they might call you, and focus on reaching your dream, because I'm telling you, when you achieve it, it's the best feeling in the world."

"Wow, that's really good advice." Bella said, glad that she shared it with her, because she had the same problem in high school. People were always calling her names; four eyes, nerd, loser; pretty much everything in the book, and sometimes it really got to her. "But how do you make friends, if everyone is making fun of you?"

Rachel looked down at the girl, feeling sorry for her, because she knew exactly how she felt. "I'll be the first to say, I didn't have many friends when I first started high school, but I eventually found people who liked me for me. So I think that's what you have to do too, just find people who appreciate your personality and everything that comes with it, and the rest will be easy."

"Thanks Rachel, it's nice to have someone who knows what I'm going through." Bella said.

"No problem." The singer replied. "You know, you kind of remind me of myself when I was your age."

"Really?" Bella asked, flabbergasted.

"Yeah, which means I see big things in your future." Rachel sent Bella a wink, and then went to fetch a glass of lemonade.

On the other side of the backyard were Ariella and Santana, who were also practicing for their first game of the night.

"Dammit, I missed again!" Santana growled, getting tired of not even landing the bean bags on the platform. "Why the hell are you so much better than me?" She asked the junior, who was landing almost every bag she threw.

"I'm a cheerleader, I have really good aim and depth perception." Ariella replied.

"Hey, smart ass, I used to be a cheerleader too, or did you forget?" Santana asked, playing around with the high school junior.

"Yeah, like 50 years ago." The cheer captain quipped back, letting out a laugh.

"Oh, we have comedian in our midst." Santana noticed. "For your information, I could beat you in a cheerleading competition any day of the week."

"Sure, if you don't break a hip in the process."

"Okay, I am not that old!" Santana defended. "How the hell are you Rachel's daughter? You seem too popular and cool to be even remotely associated with a woman that still occasionally wears reindeer sweaters."

"I don't know, really. She says I take after my dad, and he was pretty popular in high school so..."

"Hmm...I guess. That really is the only explanation for this weird genetic mutation." Santana said. She went back to tossing the bean bags, and once again missed. This lasted for a few more minutes, until Ariella interrupted her.

"Hey, Santana, why _were _you so mean to my mom in high school?"

Santana stopped throwing her bean bags, and raised an eyebrow at the junior. Then she just shrugged, figuring it wouldn't hurt to tell her, considering she and Rachel were somewhat friends now, well, as much as they could be. "Honestly...I was kind of jealous of her in high school."

"What?" Ariella asked, astonished by the news.

"Don't think too much about it. I wasn't jealous of the way she dressed or anything." Santana assured. "I just hated how much she didn't care about what other people thought. I mean, jocks would throw a slushie in her face every day, and she'd still continue being the exact same, annoying and passionate person that she was. I was jealous because I could never be that confident."

"But you were Santana Lopez, you had it all. You were a cheerleader, one of the most desired girls in school, and a total badass. Why wouldn't you be confident?" Ariel asked.

"Well, one of the reasons was that I had Quinn as my best friend. Now don't get me wrong, I love her like a sister, but I was always jealous of her. She got the guys, the head cheerleading spot, and people parted like the Red Sea for her when she walked down the halls."

"So you were mean because your friends were more popular than you?" The junior questioned.

"No, that was just one of the small things that irritated me. The main reason I was so mean in high school was because I was hiding who I really was; I was hiding the fact that I liked girls." Santana said.

Ariella looked down at her shoes when she heard that, and became somewhat unresponsive.

"Hey, you okay?" Santana asked.

"Oh yeah, I'm good." Ariel replied, quickly. "Just a little tired, that's all. Let's get this game started before I fall asleep." The junior ran to tell Kurt that they were ready to start their game, while Santana stayed behind, eyeing the girl curiously.

*****Stereo Hearts*****

_Round 1: Darrell and Artie and Patricia and Puck_

Darrell sat at the picnic table, watching as Patricia, Sam, and his dad played street hockey in the driveway. He always felt a little ashamed when he saw his dad playing sports with his other friends, because it made him feel more like he was letting him down by being gay and wanting to spend him time focusing on music. Ever since he came out, he's had this gut feeling that his dad was disappointed in him. Sure, he got along fine with Mercedes, but isn't every boy supposed to dream about going to baseball games with their dad?

Darrell was conflicted, he didn't know how to tell if his dad really didn't mind that he was gay, or if deep down he was really upset.

"Hey, what are you thinking about?" Artie asked, wheeling up to the picnic table.

"Nothing." The junior mumbled.

"Oh, don't give me that." Artie said. "That is not the face of a kid who has nothing on his mind. What's up?" He prodded.

Darrell mauled over the question. He was trying to think of the right way to answer it without sounding disrespectful. "Did you ever feel like your parents were ashamed of you because you were in a wheel chair?" He asked.

"What? No, of course not." Artie replied. "Why would you ask a silly question like that?"

"It's just...oh, never mind. It's not important."

Artie looked confused for a minute, but then he had a moment of clarity. His face softened, and he looked at the conflicted boy. "Oh, I see what this is about. You think Puck doesn't like you because you're gay."

"Is it really that far-fetched?" Darrell asked, resting his head on the palm of his hand.

Artie let out a deep breath. He tried to think of which was the best way to approach this subject, and then he thought of something. "Did you know your dad and I were friends for a while in high school?"

"You were?" The junior asked, sounding surprised.

"Yep, we sure were. He even helped me become a little more popular." Artie said.

"Hmm...that doesn't really sound like my dad. I heard he was a trouble maker in high school, always pulling pranks, dating girls, he didn't really strike me as the type of guy that cared for people like you. No offense." Darrell added.

"None taken." Artie responded with a smile. "Perhaps you don't know your dad as well as you think you do. For example, did you know that he stood up for Kurt a few times while he was being bullied by the football team?"

This time Darrell looked a little guilty. "No...I didn't."

"Hmm...that's what I thought." Artie said, realizing his plan was working. "I guess your dad's more tolerant of certain subjects than you thought."

"Yeah, I guess he is." Darrell said, starting to crack the most tinniest of smiles. "Thanks, Artie."

"Any time, kid." Artie replied, patting him on the back. He knew he was going to be alright.

*********Stereo Hearts*****

_Round 1: Andrew and Marley vs. Ava and Tina_

Drew and Marley were sitting on the swing set, waiting for their game to start, and not doing all that much talking. Marley was too busy worrying about how they were going to beat Ava and Tina, while Drew couldn't take his eyes off of Marley's daughter, Bella. Ever since he saved her from that car, he hadn't been able to get her out of his head, and when she joined Glee Club he just got even more excited. Unfortunately, he heard from "Big Mouth" Maria that she had a crush on Riley Evans, so he figured his chances with her were pretty much shot, unless he took drastic measures.

"Hey Marley, does Bella like football players?" Drew asked, trying not to sound too suspicious.

The glee director was pulled from her thoughts, and took a moment to register the boy's question. "Oh, as in _like _like?"

"Yeah, do you think she would ever date one?"

"Hmm...I'm not sure. I would assume so, I mean I did in high school." Marley said. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, no reason, just curious." Drew replied, kicking his legs back and forth because he was starting to become nervous. "What's she like? Bella, I mean."

"Well, she loves music, she's always singing around the house. And she really enjoys playing instruments." Marley replied, completely oblivious to the fact that the boy next to her had a crush on her daughter. "She's also smart, funny, musically talented, and an overall sweetheart."

Drew smiled at Marley's description of her daughter. That's exactly the type of girl that he likes. So it was settled, come Monday morning, Drew was going to join the football team and finally be the guy that gets the girl.

On the other side of the lawn, Ava and Tina were sitting at the patio table, chewing on a bowl of carrots and watching as Quinn laughed with Brittany and Santana. The three girls were practicing old cheerleading moves, while Ariella stood next to them, imitating a old lady with a walking cane that just broke her back. Santana pretended to lunge at the girl, and she got spooked enough that she ran away and started up a conversation with Olivia instead.

"Does your mom usually look that happy?" Tina asked, catching Quinn laughing yet again with her friends.

"Not really." Ava replied. "She's usually always working. When we lived in Columbus, she would go out with her friends, but she never looked the way she does now."

"Hmm..." Tina thought for a moment. "I think we need to find her a boyfriend."

"What?" Ava asked, confused, turning around to face her bean bag partner. "Haven't you ever heard that people _don't_ like it when you meddle in their business?"

"Hey, this is for the greater good. I'm serious, I think it will make her happier." Tina said. "What type of guys is she interested in?"

"How am I supposed to know?"

"Well you are her daughter, don't you know her better than anyone?" Tina asked.

"Huh, I guess." Ava replied. Honestly, she didn't know all that much about her mother's dating history. Every time a relationship got serious, Quinn would make up an excuse to break up with whatever guy she was seeing. Ava figured it had something to do with what happened with her and her dad, and she felt bad that it was hard for her mother to trust people. "Well, from what I've seen over the years, she usually dates nice guys. You know, hold the door open for you, buy you flowers, take you out to dinner, that kind of stuff."

"Okay, that's a start. What about looks?"

"God, I feel like I'm playing 20 questions." Ava said, thinking Tina was taking this whole thing a little extreme. She must really want her mom to be happy. "Anyway, she likes guys with dark hair mostly, and she prefers for them to be taller than her, at least from what I've seen."

"Alright, that's really good." Tina responded. "Now all we have to do is find a guy that fits that description and get him to go on a date with your mom."

Ava just stared at the Asian women, creasing her eyebrows. "You're weird." She informed. "But despite how creepy and somewhat wrong this is, I'm in. My mom's gone her entire life taking care of me and my brother, I think it's time we return the favor."

*****Stereo Hearts*****

_Round 1: Maria and Mercedes vs. Gabe and Jake_

Gabe and Jake were both sitting by the bonfire, roasting some hot dogs, while Mercedes and Maria were having a contest about who was the better singer. Now, let's be honest, Mercedes was winning hands down, but with Maria being the vain and egotistical person that she is, she probably thought she sounded like freaking Mariah Carey.

_"Why you so obsessed with me? Boy I wanna know. Lyin' that you're sexin me when everybody knows. It's clear that you're upset with me. Ohhh... Finally found a girl that you couldn't impress, last man on the earth still couldn't get this." _Maria sang.

"Oh god, shut up!" Gabe turned around and shouted at his little sister. "If anyone should be singing that song it should be Riley." He said with a laugh.

Jake even cracked a smile. "So Gabe, I've been wondering," Jake began, taking a sip of his beer, "how'd you get that busted lip?"

Gabe was caught by surprise, he didn't except anyone to question his current condition. And he couldn't really come out and say he received it from fight club, so he thought of something off the top of his head. "Oh, that? I accidentally ran into a door."

"I see." Jake said, nodding his head. "And what about those cuts and bruises on your arm, those from the door, too?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

Gabe glanced at his arm, realizing the man had a point. "So I got into a fight, so what? It's not like my mom didn't do the exact same thing in high school." He said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I never said she didn't." Jake clarified. "But did you ever think that maybe she doesn't want the same thing for you? I'm sure neither of them do. Your moms seem like pretty caring people, I doubt they'd want to see you get hurt. And take it from someone who knows, being the bad boy player in high school isn't all it's cracked up to be."

"How would you know?" Gabe asked, not knowing about Jake's past.

"Because I was you in high school." Jake confirmed, to which Gabe look surprised. "I dated tons of girls, got in trouble more times than I can count, and started fights."

"But you seem so sophisticated now. I mean you're a car salesman. What changed?" The sophomore asked.

"I met Marley." Jake simply put. "And she made my life do a complete 180. I worked harder in school, stopped dating around, and joined the Glee Club, which ended up getting me a scholarship to the college I would eventually attend."

"Wow, she had that big of an impact on you?" Gabe questioned, astonished by the news.

"Yep." Jake smiled. "I'm telling you, the people that make you happy are never the people you would expect. You just have to look hard enough, and I'm sure you'll find them." Jake got up from his seat, about to go talk to his wife, when he turned around and said one last thing to Gabe. "Then again, maybe they've been here all along."

*****Stereo Hearts*****

_Winner's Bracket: Round 2: Patricia and Puck vs. Marlow and Sam_

Patricia and Puck were sitting at the picnic table after their game with Marlow and Sam, to which they won, and decided to play a prank on the losers, believing everyone would get a good laugh. They watched as Marlow sat across from them, enjoying a milkshake and reading a sports magazine, before Patricia took out her cellphone and dialed the girl's number with a blocked number of her own. They snickered as Marlow went to grab it off the table, but when she tried to hit the "answer" button, nothing was working. She struggled with it for a few minutes, even after she missed the call, but she couldn't hit anything on her touch-screen.

"What the hell?" Marlow questioned, thinking something was up with her phone.

"Having some trouble there, Mars?" Patricia asked, laughing at the girl. She and Puck had covered the screen of her cellphone with a protective, transparent cover, that blocked the user from doing anything on their phone.

"You guys did this?" Marlow asked, irritated, raising an eyebrow. She already didn't like Patricia since the time she stole her art project in the first grade and used it as a hockey puck. So the fact that this was another prank, only made her relive those unwanted memories.

"Jeez, don't have a cow." Patricia said. "It's just a harmless prank." She chuckled.

"So was stealing the mini sculpture I made in art class and hitting it with a hockey stick, but that still made me upset!" Marlow quipped back.

"Okay, I think you really need to get over that."

"Well I think you really need to stop pissing me off, _Patty_!" The junior emphasized the girl's name, knowing for a fact how much she hated it.

"Hey, no body calls me that!" Patricia shouted back, standing up from her seat and grabbing a plate of jello before throwing it at Marlow. The jello got all over her clothes, and the sophomore just stood her ground. Kids even began ducking under the table, knowing where this was about to lead.

"That's it!" Marlow picked up a bowl of mashed potatoes and chucked them at Patricia. The food fight escalated from there, and the girls began throwing pizza, ice cream, hot dogs, cheese, watermelon, pretty much the whole contents of the picnic table. Their clothes were covered in stains 30 seconds in, and Patricia was about to pick up a bowl of applesauce before her mother caught her by the wrist, and made her put it down. Mercedes did the same with Marlow, before dragging her off towards the house.

"That's more than enough, little lady." Mercedes warned. "I think you and I need to have a serious talk about why it's not polite to throw food at a family gathering."

"Damn, sucks to be them." Darrell thought, popping his head up from the table. "My mom can be pretty scary when she wants to be."

"Tell me about it." Riley replied. "Trish doesn't know what she's got herself into."

*****Stereo Hearts*****

_Loser's Bracket: Round 2: Dorothy and Harmony vs. Eli and Brittany_

Dorothy and Eli were inside her house, playing with her two cats and watching the ending of _The Wizard of Oz. _They had both lost interest in the bean bag tournament, considering neither of them were very good, and instead opted to watch a classical musical instead.

"So tell me, what are their names again?" Eli asked, petting the one with black fur and bright green eyes.

"Well, the one you're petting is Elphaba, obviously named after the character from _Wicked. _And this golden-colored one's name is Boq. I named him after the Munchkin in _The Wizard of Oz._"

Eli chuckled. "You must really like musicals, huh?"

"I think "like" is a bit of an understatement." Dorothy replied. "I mean, I've probably seen every good musical there is about a dozen times, and I still can't help but watch them over and over again. You know, this might sound a little weird, but I've even made up my own theories about a few of them."

"Really? Do tell." The sophomore urged with a smile.

"Okay well, you know who Mimi is in _RENT, _right?" Eli just nodded his head, intrigued about where this was going. "Well I think her real name is Lucy. Why you may ask? Because _RENT_ is based on La Bohème, and Mimi is based on Mìmì. And in the song that translates to "Light my candle", Mìmì sings they call her Mìmì, but her real name is Lucia. The most common modern form of Lucia is Lucy, ergo; Mimi's real name is Lucy."

"Wow, and you figured all that out by yourself?" Eli asked.

"Like I said, I'm pretty sure I'm obsessed. Anyway, you probably think it's dumb." Dorothy mumbled.

"Hey, no, I think it's really cool that you know all that stuff." The sophomore said with a smile.

"Really?" The freshman asked.

"Yeah, it makes you interesting. Most of the girls I know that go to our school only care about cheerleading, and makeup, and boys. It's nice to see someone as passionate about something as you are for a change." Eli replied.

"Hmm...I guess I never thought about it that way before." Dorothy said.

"Well then I guess that's why you have me." That made Dorothy smile at Eli, most people she had talked to didn't care about her insane theories on musicals, or thought wanting to become an actress on Broadway was too far-fetched, but not Eli. He believed in her, and that was one of the nicest things anyone could ever do for a person. "Come on," Eli said, "let's watch the ending of _The Wizard of Oz. _I love this movie."

"So do I," Dorothy replied, "so do I."

*****Stereo Hearts*****

_Winner's Bracket: Round 3: Riley and Quinn vs. Danny and Brody_

Riley was practicing his jump shot between games when he noticed Quinn sitting at the picnic table by herself, looking a little down in the dumps. His curiosity got the better of him and he dropped his basketball on the ground and walked over to her.

"Hey, are you okay?" Riley asked when he was in ear-shot distance.

Quinn turned around, nervously, because she wasn't expecting anyone to notice she was upset. "Me? Oh yeah, I'm fine." So instead of coming clean, she lied.

"Really? Cause you don't look fine." Riley pointed out. "You're not feeling sick are you? Because if you are, we can drop out of the competition if you want."

Quinn chuckled. "I appreciate your concern, but I'm not sick." She assured. "Trust me, I'm a doctor, I would know."

"Well then what's wrong?" Riley asked again, this time sliding onto the picnic bench.

"Why do you keep assuming something's wrong?" Quinn questioned.

"Because you're acting the exact same way I do when I'm upset. You pretend that you're fine because you don't want to burden other people with your problems. It's called being selfless, and sometimes it's not always a good thing. You're a doctor, you should know." Riley said with a smile.

She laughed again. "Touche."

Riley just shrugged. "So are you going to tell me what's up?"

Quinn thought it over for a moment, then turned towards the junior. "You're very annoying." She said in a joking way, to which Riley just shrugged again. Quinn rolled her eyes at his response, getting the feeling that this boy wasn't going to give up until he got some answers. She let out a deep huff, and decided to lay it all out on the table. "I don't know how well I'm doing at this single-parent thing. Everything I try to do for my kids, just doesn't seem like enough, you know? I feel like me working all the time is creating distance between us. I mean, Danny's pretty much had to figure things out by himself without a proper father figure at home, and Ava rarely has a mom around to look up to as a role model. I don't know what I have to do to fix this."

"You don't have to do anything." Riley simply put. "I mean, are you kidding me? You seem like a freaking great mom. You somehow managed to raise your kids while putting yourself through medical school, I think you deserve a little credit for that. And on top of that, they turned out pretty damn good. I've gotten to know Danny in the last few days, and father figure or not, no one could have helped him grow up more than you did."

Quinn was somewhat speechless, she never thought about it from that perspective before. Was that what her kids thought as well? That she was trying the best that she could and they loved her for everything she did anyway?

"Look, I don't really know where this is coming from," Riley began, "all I know is that you shouldn't doubt yourself, because your kids probably appreciate everything you do more than you think."

Quinn couldn't help but smile this time. "You know you're pretty smart for a 17-year-old."

Just then, someone shouted in their direction. "Hey, Riley, Quinn! You guys get ready, your game is up next!" Sebastian informed.

"Well Mr. Evans, you ready to win this thing?" Quinn asked.

"Please, I was born ready." Riley replied. "But before we do that, I have to do something first. Music usually helps put you in a better mode, right?"

"I guess." Quinn said with a laugh. "Why?"

"Just wait." Riley responded, smiling at Quinn. He walked over to Danny and whispered something in his ear, and then did the same thing with Andrew and Gabe. The four boys headed into the garage, stocked with musical equipment for special improv performances like this one. Riley took a seat at the drums, while Gabe and Danny both grabbed electric guitars, and Drew took his place at the center mic.

Danny and Gabe began strumming their guitars, while Riley started a steady beat on the drums.

_**Drew:** The faster we're falling, _  
_We're stopping and stalling._  
_We're running in circles again_  
_Just as things we're looking up_  
_You said it wasn't good enough._  
_But still we're trying one more time._

_Maybe we're just trying too hard. _  
_When really it's closer than it is too far_

Everyone in the backyard heard the music, and gathered around the garage to listen in. Marlow smiled at her friend, Gabe, not being able to get enough of his singing. Ava appreciated her brother's passion for music, and was actually happy she and Danny decided to sign up for Glee Club. Artie and Sugar cheered on their son, Drew, and Maria just held herself back from tackling Riley, he looked so hot playing those drums.

_**All:** Cause I'm in too deep, and I'm trying to keep, _  
_Up above in my head, instead of going under._  
_Cause I'm in too deep, and I'm trying to keep, _  
_Up above in my head, instead of going under._  
_Instead of going under._

_**Gabe:** Seems like each time _  
_I'm with you I lose my mind,_  
_Because I'm bending over backwards to relate._  
_It's one thing to complain _  
_But when you're driving me insane_  
_Well then I think it's time that we took a break._

_Maybe we're just trying too hard. _  
_When really it's closer than it is too far_

Quinn couldn't believe this kid. He had thought of this whole idea just to cheer her up because she was having a crummy day. He kind of reminded her of Sam in that way, he's always been a really nice guy, especially when he was in high school.

_**All:** Cause I'm in too deep, and I'm trying to keep, _  
_Up above in my head, instead of going under._  
_Cause I'm in too deep, and I'm trying to keep, _  
_Up above in my head, instead of going under._  
_Instead of going under._  
_Instead of going under._  
_Instead of going under._

Danny took the guitar solo, as everyone in the backyard bobbed their heads along with the music. Bella smiled at Drew as he sang the next verse in the song, and all Drew could think to himself was, "oh yeah, girls dig guys in a band."

_**Drew:** I can't sit back and wonder why._  
_It took so long for this to die._

_**All:** And I hate it when you fake it._  
_You can't hide it you might as well embrace it._  
_So believe me it's not easy._  
_It seems that something's telling me,_

_I'm in too deep, and I'm trying to keep, _  
_Up above in my head, instead of going under._  
_Cause I'm in too deep, and I'm trying to keep, _  
_Up above in my head, instead of going under._  
_Instead of going under._  
_Instead of going under again._  
_Instead of going under._  
_Instead of going under again._  
_Instead of going under again._  
_Instead of going under again._

The audience applauded the four boys' performance, and then dispersed throughout the backyard once again. Riley got up from the drum set, and noticed Quinn walking towards him.

"Well, that was...unexpected." The blonde said.

"What can I say?" Riley asked. "I'm full of surprises."

Quinn chuckled. "Thank you, by the way. That really did help cheer me up."

"Well, I think winning is going to help cheer you up even more because we play your son in about, oh..." Riley glanced at his wrist watch, "now. And I don't really like losing."

"I guess that makes two of us." Quinn replied. "Let's win this thing."

*****Stereo Hearts*****

_Loser's Bracket: Round 3: Alex and Sugar vs. Olivia and Mike_

Alex and Sugar were in the middle of a match with Olivia and Mike, and both Changs were throwing on the same side. It had been quiet for most of the game so far, considering his dad was still upset with Alex after what he heard happened at a school, and Alex didn't want to be the one to break the ice either. Then again, if no one gave in, this would go on for a long time, so Alex just decided to confront his dad about it.

"Dad, are you still mad at me?" Alex asked. He and his dad were never all that close, but he still cared about what he thought of him.

Mike stopped throwing his bean bags for a moment. "I never said I was mad at you too begin with." He replied. "Just a little disappointed, that's all. What were you thinking smoking on school property? I didn't even know you smoked. Do you know how truly worried your mother and I were?"

"Sorry, I don't like keeping secrets from you guys. I just thought it would be better if you didn't know. I understand how much you want me to become successful." The sophomore said.

"Hey, success doesn't mean anything if you don't have good physical and mental health. Smoking can kill you, you know?" His father warned. "I'm sorry if I've pushed you too hard in school. My dad was like that way with me and I hated it. I guess I could have gone a little overboard."

"Dad, it's not your fault. I choose the decisions I make, you don't have to put that on you. I'm sorry if I let you down." Alex apologized.

"Hey, you making mistakes is one thing, but the idea of you letting me down? That's...impossible." Mike assured.

"You really believe that?" Alex asked, taking pride in the fact that his dad cared about him so much.

"Of course I do." His father replied with a smile. "You're a pretty special kid, the only thing I ask is that you open up a little bit more. I think if you do that...I think we'll be okay. All three of us." Mike said.

"Thanks, dad. I will." Alex promised. "And be sure to thank Mr. Shue for signing me up for Glee Club this year. I have a feeling it's not going to be so bad."

*****Stereo Hearts*****

_Loser's Bracket: Round 5: Danny and Brody vs. Gabe and Jake_

Danny and Brody were throwing the football around with Puck and Sam before their game started, and Danny couldn't help but get distracted by Olivia taking pictures of everyone having fun. He just loved the way she smiled when she took a picture, it could light up an entire room. While Danny wasn't paying attention, the football came flying full-speed at him, and hit him square in the head. He winced in pain, and immediately covered his forehead with his hand.

All the grown ups came rushing over, and Rachel immediately yelled that she was going to run and get the first aid kit. Danny began to feel light-headed, and started swaying back and forth, about to drop to the ground before Brody caught him. They carried him into the house and laid him on couch, where he immediately passed out.

When he awoke a few minutes later, Olivia was sitting on the couch next to him, sorting through a first aid kit. He tried to sit up, but felt a major pain in his head when he did.

"Whoa, not so fast, Sparky. I wouldn't want you to hurt yourself." Olivia said.

"What happened?" Danny mumbled.

"You got hit in the head with a football." The senior clarified. "And you've got the bump to prove it. But don't worry, your mom already checked you out, you don't have a concussion or anything."

"Well that's good to hear, I guess. What are you doing?" Danny asked.

"I was just bandaging up your bruise. I took a first aid class over the summer." Olivia confirmed. "I felt like I kind of owed it to you, considering it was sort of my fault that this happened."

"What? Why?"

Olivia just chuckled. "I saw you staring at me before you got clocked." Danny instantly felt embarrassed, and Olivia smiled at his reaction. "It was kind of cute, actually." The senior reached across the couch and grabbed a glass of water from off the night stand, holding it out for Danny to grab. "Here, have something to drink. You look parched." Danny drank the whole glass in one sitting and Olivia's eyes widened. "Wow, someone was thirsty."

"How do you know I was staring at you?" Danny asked, wiping his mouth. "Maybe I was staring at someone else."

"I guess that's a possibility." Olivia replied. "But did you ever think that maybe I _wanted_ you to be staring at me?"

Danny look confused, was she implying that she wanted him to like her? "Um..."

Olivia chuckled again. "Don't worry, I'm just messing with you." She teased. "How's your head feeling?"

"Like someone just dropped a 2-ton cinder block on it." Danny moaned.

"Well here, maybe this will help it feel better." Olivia bent down, and kissed the junior on the forehead. Danny's eyes immediately widened; he never expected her to do that, but he wasn't upset that she did. "There, now I'm sure you'll be up and walking in no time. But before you try, get some rest. I'll see you around, Sparky." Olivia waved good-bye to the boy on bed rest and slipped out the screen door to the back yard. Danny just laid on the couch, feeling that despite the pain, this was the best night he's hand since he moved to this town.

*****Stereo Hearts*****

_Winner's Bracket: Final Round: Riley and Quinn vs. Ariella and Santana_

_Current Score: 17-17_

All the other games had been played, and it was time for the final showdown between Riley and Quinn vs. Ariella and Santana. Both teams had been shown to be worthy adversaries, each making it this far in the competition, so to lose now would be unacceptable. Most of the kids were cheering for Riley to win, with the exception of Olivia, who was rooting for both of her friends. It had been a tight match so far, both teams matching their opponent's points, so the score was dead even, tied at 17.

It was Riley and Ariella's turn to throw this round, so Ariel tossed her blue bean bag, and it landed on the platform. Riley tossed his red bean bag, and it also landed on the platform. Ariel tossed her second bean bag, and it was wide right. Riley tossed his second bean bag, and hit a ringer, earning him three points. The crowd cheered for the jock's success, but the happiness was short-lived when Ariel came back and hit a ringer of her own. The score was still 17 all. Riley tossed his third bean bag, and hit a consecutive three-point ringer, to which the crowd cheered again. Ariella got flustered by this, and threw her last bean bag, missing the platform by only a few centimeters. All the pressure was on Riley now, the score was 20-17. If he got this last bean bag onto the platform, he and Quinn would win.

The crowd became very silent, with a few people biting their nails, and Riley lined up his shot. After a few moments, he lifted his arm back and tossed the bean bag into the air.

[Cue slow motion bean bag flipping through the air, cutting to nervous people's faces]

Riley shut his eyes, but peaked them back open just in time to see his red bean bag land on the platform. Everyone in the backyard went crazy, and Santana and Ariel began yelling at each other, each blaming one another for their lose. That's why you don't put two hot heads on the same team.

Riley smiled at Quinn, and was about to go and congratulate her when he was bombarded by his friends.

Kurt stepped into the madness, holding two slips of paper. "Riley, Quinn, I want to be the first to congratulate you on your win. Great job. As for your efforts, here are two gift certificates to the Lima Bean."

"Thanks, Kurt." Quinn replied with a smile. She stepped out of the hectic circle of jumping fans, and just as she did, she received a cell phone call from a blocked number. She quickly headed to the front yard to answer it, but not before Riley noticed where she was going. After he managed to break free from Maria's tight grip around his waist, he told people he needed to use the bathroom and walked around the side of the house. Before he reached the front yard though, he heard Quinn talking on her phone.

_"No Ian, how many times do I have to tell you? Stop calling me. I don't want you seeing them. Hell, I don't even want you speaking to them. You lost that privilege a long time ago when you made it clear to me you wanted nothing to do with them."_

_"I am not being unreasonable! You're the one that showed up out of the blue, after 16 years I may add, and decided that he wanted to get in touch with his kids. Sorry Ian, but these kids have been through enough, I don't want them seeing you and making everything that much worse. Good bye."_

Quinn pressed the "end" button on her phone as hard as she could before dropping it on the ground and running a hand over her eyes. Riley slowly stepped out from behind the house, and the ruffling of the grass made Quinn jump.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Riley apologized. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"Oh no, it's okay." Quinn said, calming down. "Have you been there the whole time?"

Riley glanced behind him, not sure if she was going to be angry or not. "Would you believe me if I said no?"

"Probably not." Quinn replied. "You don't seem like a very good liar."

"Hmm...I'm not sure whether to take that as a compliment or an insult." This made Quinn laugh a little. Riley stepped further out into the front yard, until he was only a few feet away from Quinn. "So is that why you were upset today, because he keeps calling you?"

Quinn ran a hand through her hair, feeling the stress of her long day finally starting to settle in. "I just wish he would leave me alone. I mean, one of the reasons I left Columbus was because I thought it would rid me of him, but he's just not giving up. I don't know, I guess I just have a lot on my plate right now and it's hard handling it all by myself."

Riley felt really bad, he wished there was something he could do to help, but he was only a kid in high school, there's not much he could do. "I'm sorry, I wish I had a solution to your problem but I don't."

"That's okay, Riley. I don't want to burden you anyway. You're a good kid, you should enjoy high school while you can. God knows I didn't." Quinn said.

Riley was silent for a moment, trying to think of what to do next, and then it hit him. He reached around to the back of his neck and unclipped something, then walked over to Quinn, and held it out for her to take. "I want you to have this."

Quinn looked confused. "It's a dog tag necklace."

"True, but it's also lucky." Riley added. "The first day I wore it, I scored three running touchdowns."

"Is that a lot?" Quinn asked.

"It is when you play quarterback." Riley said with a smile.

Quinn chuckled. "So if it's so lucky, why are you giving it to me?"

"Read it." Riley said, handing it to her.

Quinn flipped it over and read it aloud as follows, "At one point in your life you either have the thing you want or the reasons why you don't." Quinn looked up at Riley, not entirely sure what he was trying to say.

"It's a quote by Andy Roddick." He clarified. "Now all you have left to figure out, is which one applies to you." Riley sent one final smile to Quinn before heading back around the house and meeting up with his friends. Quinn stayed behind a while longer, glancing up at the night stars and feeling as if they were shining a little more brightly than before.

*****Stereo Hearts*****

**The song links and bean bag tournament results are on my tumblr, be sure to check them out! Oh, and in case you were wondering what song Maria was singing, it's called "Obsessed" by Mariah Carey. Thanks for reading and feel free to review :)**

**Next time on _Stereo Hearts:_**

**"Why do I suck at relationships so much?" [Ariella questioned to Olivia]**

**"I think I may have a solution." [Olivia answered]**

**"I accept that bet. May the best man win." [Said a Warbler to another Warbler, shaking his hand]**

**"Do you like my sister?" [Danny asked to an unknown person while standing in his ****driveway]**

**"You have a habit of getting yourself into trouble, don't you?" [Drew was seen smiling at Bella]**

**"You should join the booster club." [Riley said, sitting on top of a kitchen counter]**


	3. The Sing-Off

**Hey guys, sorry it took me 50 million years to update the story, I promise it won't happen again. Anyway, you know the drill, songs are on my tumblr. I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

*****Stereo Hearts*****

_Monday, September 6, 2032 - Day 6_

Olivia, Ariella, and Ava were finishing up cheer practice and rifling through a few last-minute dance moves, while their new Cheerios coach, Gwen Hastings, a.k.a Sue's niece, was continuing her aunt's legacy of being a harsh, extremely blunt dictator and scolding a wimpy freshman girl for screwing up her latte order.

"This is not made with skim milk!" The coach yelled. "Go back to the Lima Bean and get me a new one." She threw the scalding cup of coffee back at the freshman, causing the lid to fly off and burning the girl's forearms. The small girl screeched in pain and slowly sunk to the ground. A few other Cheerios ran to her aid, while Olivia, Ariella, and Ava just stood there with their mouths agape.

"Ugh, cheerleaders are such babies." Gwen mumbled before stepping over the freshman on the ground and pointing at the captain and her two teammates. "You three, I need a skim milk caramel latte. Stat!"

"And you expect us to get it?" Ariella asked, to which Olivia nudged her. She was fine with getting the coffee, as long as it meant she could live to see tomorrow.

"If you want to stay on this squad, I do." The coach retorted.

Ariella just rolled her eyes, she hated people giving her ultimatums, but before she could object, her friend stepped in. "We'll get right on it." Olivia assured with a smile, to which Gwen returned, with a little more bitterness. The three girls walked out of the gymnasium, intent on heading to the Lima Bean to get their coach her stupid coffee.

"I can't believe you agreed for us to do this." Ariella said, sounding annoyed. "We're not her errand girls."

"It's not like I really had a choice." Olivia responded. "Let's just talk about something else, shall we? To pass the time?"

"I agree with Liv." Ava replied. "This will all go by a lot faster if we have something to take our minds off it."

"And who says I'd want to converse with you anyway?" The cheer captain asked. "I never wanted you on this squad in the first place."

"Alright A, that's enough." Olivia warned. "You're upset, I get it, but that's no reason to take your anger out on Ava. She didn't do anything wrong." The junior sent her a smile of gratitude, and the senior returned it. "Now, onto a lighter subject, how was your date with Duke Howser?" Olivia asked with a wiggle of her eyebrows.

Ariella let out a huff, signaling that it didn't end well. "The night started off good, and he paid for dinner, but the aftermath had some flaws."

"Meaning?" Olivia searched.

"We had nothing in common. All he wanted to talk about was football, and his friends, and his dog." Ariel said.

"Are those really that terrible of things to talk about?" Ava asked.

"No, but...I just didn't care about what he was saying. I mean, he would be talking, and all I wanted to do was fall asleep. I just seems like every guy I date is boring, I want someone who catches my attention."

"Hmm...what about Tim Carson? He's got a pretty good reputation for keeping the ladies interested." Olivia said.

"No, I already went out with him, remember? At the carnival?"

"Oh, right, the horrible kisser." The senior recalled.

"Yeah, but Liv, every guy I've kissed I tell you is a horrible kisser. What if it's not them? What if it's me?" Ariella asked with a shadow of a doubt.

"It's not you." Olivia assured. "You obviously just haven't found the right guy yet."

"Maybe..." Ariella replied, unsure. "God, why do I suck at relationships so much?" Ava wanted to say something about her being a selfish bitch, but ultimately decided against it.

Olivia, on the other hand, had the look on her face that she always had when she had a genius plan in mind. "I think I may have a solution." She said with a smirk and a raise of her eyebrow.

"Oh, I know that look, what are you thinking, Liv?" The brunette junior asked.

"Now this might sound crazy, but just hear me out, okay?" Olivia pleaded, to which Ariel and Ava nodded, waiting in anticipation. "What if I start by dating a guy, then do all the things girls do wrong in relationships to see how he reacts? It would kind of be like a...dating how-to in reverse."

"What not to do." Ava added with a smile.

"Exactly." Olivia mused, excited about the idea already.

"You're right, you sound crazy." Ariella deadpanned, waving her hand and walking off down the hall.

Olivia followed and stepped in front of her friend. "Hey, don't you get it, A? This is perfect. Remember that journalism internship I took in New York this summer?"

"You mean the one you wouldn't shut up about? Yeah, you said it was the best experience you've ever had. It's kind of hard to forget." The girl responded. "What's your point?"

"Well they're doing it again next year and this piece would be perfect to send me over all the other applicants and help me get the job. It shows originality, spunk, creativity; everything the editor said I needed to make my writing great. This could be my shot A, to make it as a real journalist. Please tell me you're going to be there to back me up?"

Ariella thought it over for a minute. This didn't sound like a good idea, and she couldn't help but feel like it was going to end badly...but, Olivia was her best friend, and she'd pretty much walk through fire for that girl. "Alright, I'm in." The cheer captain said with a role of her eyes.

"Oh, thank you so much!" Olivia said, giving her friend a big hug. "Ava, what about you?"

"Why the hell not?" She shrugged. "It wouldn't hurt to spice things up a bit."

"Alright, so what do we do first?" Ariella asked.

"I'd imagine we'd have to find a guy." Ava guessed.

"No." Olivia said with a shake of her head.

"No?" Ariella and Ava questioned in unison.

"Nope." The senior responded. "First you have to learn how to be a heartbreaker."

Music started playing in the background, and Olivia began shaking her hips back and forth. She held up the number one with her finger, and made her way in a circle around her friends.

_**Olivia:** Rule number one, is that you gotta have fun,_  
_But baby when you're done, you gotta be the first to run_  
_Rule number two, just don't get attached to, _  
_Somebody you could lose_  
_So le-let me tell you_

Olivia broke out with a load of dance moves in the hallway, mostly hip-hop, as Ava and Ariella bobbed their heads to the beat.

_This is how to be a heartbreaker_  
_Boys they like a little danger_  
_We'll get him falling for a stranger, a player_  
_Singing I lo-lo-love you_

_How to be a heartbreaker_  
_Boys they like the look of danger_  
_We'll get him falling for a stranger, a player_  
_Singing I lo-lo-love you_  
_At least I think I do!_

The three girls bolted down the hall, dancing along the way.

_Cause I lo-lo-lo-love you._

Ava started singing next, and ran her hand along the row of lockers.

_**Ava:** Rule number three, wear your heart on your cheek_  
_But never on your sleeve, unless you wanna taste defeat_  
_Rule number four, gotta be looking pure_  
_Kiss him goodbye at the door and leave him wanting more-more_

She pushed off the lockers with her hand, and spun right into a one-handed cartwheel. She continued her dance number with several hip-hop, gymnastics, and ballet moves. Olivia and Ariella watched with starry eyes; man could that girl dance.

_This is how to be a heartbreaker_  
_Boys they like a little danger_  
_We'll get him falling for a stranger, a player_  
_Singing I lo-lo-love you_

_How to be a heartbreaker_  
_Boys they like the look of danger_  
_We'll get him falling for a stranger, a player_  
_Singing I lo-lo-love you_  
_At least I think I do!_

_Cause I lo-lo-lo-love you._

Ariella walked slowly down the isles of the cafeteria, singing, and momentarily taking a seat on one of the benches, while Ava and Olivia executed some contemporary dance moves in the background.

_**Ariella:** Girls, we do, whatever it will take_  
_Cause girls don't want, we don't want our hearts to break_  
_In two, so it's better to be fake_  
_Can't risk losing love again babe._

The three girls busted through the doors of the cafeteria and into the parking lot. They each ran to different locations, dancing around separate cars and sliding over the hoods of some of them. Ava even did a front flip off the bed of a red pick-up truck.

_**All:** This is how to be a heartbreaker_  
_Boys they like a little danger_  
_We'll get him falling for a stranger, a player_  
_Singing I lo-lo-love you_

_How to be a heartbreaker_  
_Boys they like the look of danger_  
_We'll get him falling for a stranger, a player_  
_Singing I lo-lo-love you_

_Cause I lo-lo-lo-love you._  
_At least I think I do!_

They all intersected at Olivia's car, where they got in and started laughing as soon as the song was over. The senior turned her key in the ignition and the started the car up.

"So girls, where to?" Olivia asked with a smile.

"The Lima Bean." Ariella answered. "We're going to find you a man."

*****Stereo Hearts*****

It was four o'clock in the afternoon, school had already been released, and three boys in Warbler uniforms were at the Lima Bean, ordering drinks and discussing the start of this year's show choir competition.

"So Griffin, how do you think our Warblers are looking this year? We have some good freshman that can sing." A tall boy with dark hair said to the leader of the Warblers.

"Please Seth, you and I both know that doesn't matter very much, they're just going to be singing back-up for me no matter what." Griffin replied. If there was one thing you needed to know about the junior, it was that he was super ambitious, with a somewhat cocky attitude and charming exterior.

"Right, because you're the only one that gets solos on this team." A brunette boy replied. Griffin's fraternal twin brother, James, on the other hand, was far more silent and laid back. He was sincere, yet introverted, and remained a strong-willed boy with a huge heart and thoughtful perspectives.

"Hey, no need to be jealous little brother. I'm sure you'll get a solo at our Invitationals. That is, if I'm sick in the hospital with laryngitis or something." Griffin said with a laugh.

"You're only 11 minutes older than me." James grumbled.

"Yeah, and who says you're going to be the one to get all the solos this year?" Seth asked. "I've been working on my singing, and I'll tell you right now, I'm auditioning for the solo when we make it to Regionals."

"What is this? Amateur hour? I've been the lead singer of the Warblers for the last two years. What makes you think we have a better shot at winning Nationals with you at the reigns?" Griffin asked. Despite the two boys being friends, they've always been very competitive with one another, and nothing between them ever went down without a fight.

"Well considering Vocal Adrenaline has won Nationals three years in a row, I'd say it's time for a change at the top." Seth quipped back.

"I sense a bet coming on." James noticed, glancing back and forth between the two Warblers.

"And you would be right little brother." Griffin replied, to which James scolded, he hated when he called him that. "Alright Seth, time to put your money where your mouth is. Sing-off. You and me. You name the place and time."

"I don't think so." Seth answered. "I'm not about to challenge you to a singing competition, I'm not ready yet, but come Regionals, I will be."

"So then what do you suggest?" James asked.

"You're good with women, right Grif?" The junior asked.

"Of course." Griffin replied without a beat. He wasn't just good with women, he could nab any one he wanted. With his charming personality, great looks, and flirty attitude, he hasn't met a girl yet that wouldn't want to date him.

"So I propose a bet, that whoever can get a girl to fall in love with them the fastest before Regionals gets the solo, and is the leader of the Warblers next year. What do you say Grif, do we have a deal?" Seth questioned, holding out his hand.

Griffin eyed it curiously, he really couldn't form of a scenario in this mind that ended with him losing, so he guessed there was only one option left.

"I accept that bet. May the best man win." Griffin said before shaking Seth's hand to seal the deal.

"And would you look at that," James began, "seems like your lucky ladies just walked in." He said, nodding his head over to the three cheerleaders by the door.

"Damn, they're hot. Which one are you thinking?" Griffin asked.

"I'm liking the light-haired brunette." Seth replied.

"Good, because I was planning on going for the dark-haired one." The two boys dispersed, and both made their way towards the cheerleaders.

"Hello ladies." Griffin greeted. "I'm Griffin, this is my friend Seth, and we were wondering if you wanted to grab a drink with us."

Ariella and Olivia shared a look that pretty much said, 'this is going to be way too easy,' then smiled up at the Dalton boys. "We would love to." The cheer captain responded.

"But perhaps another time." Olivia finished. "Our cheer coach really needs her latte, and if she doesn't get it soon, I'm afraid this might be the last time you'll see us around here." The senior said with a laugh.

"That's completely understandable." Seth replied. "Maybe just a number then?" He asked with a raise of his eyebrow.

Olivia grabbed the pen from one of review boxes and brought Seth's hand closer to her. She jotted her phone number down and then released it. "Don't be afraid to give me a call."

"Will do." Seth responded with a smile. Ariella did the same thing with Griffin, and the two couples made small talk until Ava came back with Gwen's coffee.

"Hey, you guys ready to go?" The junior asked.

"Yep. We'll see you boys later." Olivia smiled and waved.

"I'm counting on it." Seth quipped back.

The three cheerleaders exited the Lima Bean, while Griffin and Seth watched as they left. "She already can't get enough of me." Seth assured.

"I'm going to make him wish he were dead." Olivia said to Ariel as she walked to her car. She turned around and sent one final wave to the Warbler. "Poor guy." The three girls got into the car, drove out of the parking lot, and sped off down the street.

*****Stereo Hearts*****

Riley and Danny were at the younger boy's house, playing a game of basketball in the driveway and practicing their free throws, when Riley noticed Quinn's Subaru coming up the street. The two boys moved from the driveway as she passed, Danny waving to his mom on the way. Quinn's car parked, and the trunk popped open, showing off a wide-range of grocery bags. Danny wasn't very interested, and continued on with the game. Riley, on the other hand, didn't seem all that interested in playing basketball anymore.

"Riley. Riley!" Danny shouted, trying to get the boy's attention.

The junior tore his eyes away from the garage and directed his attention at his friend. "What?"

"I thought we were in the middle of a game. What are you staring at?" Danny asked, turning around and spotting his sister on the front lawn, practicing a few cheerleading moves for the upcoming football game this Thursday. "Dude, do you like my sister?"

"What? No! Are you crazy?" Riley asked, surprised that his friend would even think that. He'd never like his sister.

"It was just a question." The boy replied. "So you're cool then, and we can get back to playing our game?"

"Actually...I think I'm going to go help your mom with the groceries." Riley responded. "She looks like she could use a hand. Keep working on that jump shot, I'll only be gone a minute." Before Danny could object, Riley was jogging over to the car, where Quinn was trying to grab as many grocery bags as she could carry.

"Hey, let me help you with those." The junior requested. Quinn looked up, thinking it was going to be her son actually lending a hand for once, but instead it was his friend.

"Oh, Riley, it's you." Quinn said, somewhat surprised. "That's very kind of you to offer, but I'm sure I can handle a few grocery bags."

"No, come on, I insist." Riley replied, showing off his contagious, white smile.

Quinn seemed a little hesitant, but ultimately figured that if someone wanted to do her a favor, she should accept it. "Well alright, you can grab the rest of those bags and follow me into the house."

"You got it." Riley picked up the rest of the grocery bags and made his way into the kitchen with Quinn. He began taking food out of the bags and putting them into the cupboard, even though Quinn didn't ask him to.

"Oh, Riley, I think I can take it from here." Quinn said with a chuckle, grabbing the can of soup out of his hand.

Riley seemed a little disappointed by her actions, but respected her wishes nonetheless. "Alright, well, have a nice day, Quinn" The junior began to make his way back to the front door, until Quinn's voice stopped him.

"Wait..." She began. Quinn let out a sigh, before continuing, "I can never reach the top cupboard anyway." She said, holding out the can for Riley to take back. "Do you mind?"

Riley's forehead creased, realizing how torn Quinn was with having him help her, but shrugged anyway, and walked over to the counter. He grabbed the can, before reaching up and placing it on the top shelf next to the other cans of soup.

"Thanks." Quinn replied. "You can put the rest on the bottom shelf."

The two rummaged around the kitchen for the next few minutes, putting everything where it was supposed to go. After Riley was finished, we hopped up onto the kitchen counter, grabbed an apple out of the glass bowl next to the microwave, rinsed it off, and took a bite. "You know, Quinn, you should really think about joining the booster club."

Quinn let out a tiny laugh while reorganizing her refrigerator. "Any why's that?" She asked.

"Well, I take it because you're new to town, it'd be a good way for you to meet other parents." Riley said.

"I have enough friends Riley, I don't need you to set me up." The woman said with a light-hearted smile.

"Okay, you may be right. But Santana, Brittany, and Mercedes are in it too, along with a bunch of others, so it would be a good way to spend more time with them." The junior added.

"I appreciate the offer, but I think I'm just too busy right now." Quinn said while grabbing the plastic bags and putting them in a kitchen cabinet.

"Oh come on, the boosters only meet two times a week after school for an hour at the most. You can't tell me you can't take two hours out of your hectic schedule to do something you actually want to do." Riley replied.

"Why are you pushing this so hard? What's so great about being a booster anyway?"

"Well, you get discounts on tickets to sporting events, and I figure you're going to be going to a lot of them now that Danny's on the football team." He answered. "You are going to be at football games, aren't you?"

"Of course I am. My daughter's a cheerleader and my son's a football player. It's basically an obligation." Quinn said.

"Cool, I was hoping you would." Riley responded. "That's why I got you this." The junior pulled out a ticket from his back pocket and held it out to Quinn. "It's a ticket to Thursday's game. Our coach always lets us give one out to someone for the first game of the season in hopes of attracting a larger audience. This year I thought I would give mine to you."

That uncomfortable feeling Quinn had been experiencing earlier was slowly starting to come back. She couldn't help but think that she was being a tad bit too friendly to her son's friend, and figured it would be best to deny his gift. "Riley, you should give that to someone else." Quinn said. "Besides, I already have a ticket. Danny gave me his."

"Oh, okay, that's fine then. I guess I'll give it to somebody else." The junior replied, acting like he wasn't at the slightest bit disappointed.

"You should, possibly to a girl at school. There must be someone you like at McKinley. Maria seems to have a thing for you." Quinn said with a smile.

Riley laughed. "Yeah, I guess. I've kind of liked this other girl for a while though."

"Oh, does she go to your school?"

"Doesn't matter." The junior said. "She'd never like me anyway." Riley hopped down off the kitchen counter and threw his apple in the garbage can. "I'll see you later Ms. Fabray."

*****Stereo Hearts*****

_Tuesday, September 7, 2032 - Day 7_

Drew was walking down the hallway to his 3rd period English class, when he spotted Darrell Puckerman putting up flyers for this Thursday's football game. He took this as a great opportunity to talk to him about joining the football team, and hustled to catch up with him.

"Hey, Darrell." Drew greeted. "What's up?"

"Just hanging up flyers before the big game. You?" The junior asked.

"Well, you see the thing is, I was actually meaning to talk to you about that."

"About what? Football?" Darrell questioned.

"Yeah, I mean, I was wondering if you had any spots left open on the team." Drew said.

"Wait, hold on, you want to join the football team?" Darrell asked. "Since when?"

"Since always." Drew replied, trying to sound convincing, but he knew Darrell wasn't buying it. "Alright, fine, I'm doing it to impress a girl."

This caused the junior to let out a laugh. "And the truth comes out. Typical: guy joins the football team to get the girl. I should have known this would happen eventually. So come on, spill it, who's the girl?"

"Oh, she's a freshman, you probably wouldn't know her." Drew stumbled.

"Can it, Abrams, and just tell me who it is." Darrell replied.

"Fine, it's...Bella Puckerman." The junior mumbled.

"The Glee Club coach's daughter? I thought she had a thing for Riley Evans."

"I think she does too." Drew responded. "That's why I didn't want to ask him to help me, because then Bella would only see that as him doing yet another favor for someone. So come on Darrell, please say you'll help me make the team."

"Well the season has already started so it's going to be tough, but our field goal kicker did just go out with a knee injury yesterday and can't play in the game on Thursday. Tell me Drew, have you ever kicked a football before? What about soccer, are you any good at that?"

"Um...I think I played it a couple of times in gym class during middle school." Drew replied.

"That'll have to do." Darrell said, grabbing the boy by his shirt and dragging him off down the hallway. "Let's go Romeo."

*****Stereo Hearts*****

Marlow and Alex were sitting in the courtyard during study hall, reading over some last minute Physics notes and eating lunch. Marlow wasn't rarely one for studying, but she was only pulling a D- in Physics, and if she didn't get that grade up to at least a C her parents were going to kill her.

"Dammit! I don't get any of this." Marlow said, angrily, throwing her papers up in the air.

"Calm down, Mars, we can figure this out." Alex assured. He hated seeing his friend stressed, and would do anything to help her do better in this class, even if it meant studying a subject he wasn't even taking.

"Physics is just so hard. Besides, when am I ever going to have to know," Marlow paused for a moment to pick up a homework assignment and read over one of the problems, "the distance a ball travels if you hit it at a height of 4 ft. and a velocity of 11 m/s?"

Alex just laughed. "To be honest, I have no idea. But you have to pass this class, remember?"

"Trust me, I couldn't forget that detail even if I wanted to." Marlow replied. "Speaking of remembering things, where the hell is Gabe? He promised he'd meet up with us."

"He probably got distracted doing something else, you and I both know how forgetful he can be. Either that, or he's in trouble again." Alex said.

"Yeah, or he's hanging out with Riley Evans and his friends." The junior deadpanned.

"Hmm...that's a random guess, what makes you say that?" Alex asked.

"See for yourself." Marlow replied, nodding over to where Riley and Gabe, along with a few of the other guys from the team, were throwing the football around and watching as the cheerleaders practiced in the courtyard. Marlow got the fact that Gabe lived in two worlds, she just wished he'd come over to their side more often. She'd known him just as long as Riley had, the only reason she didn't hang out with the quarterback was because she despised his sister. That, and she didn't really like football players, or jocks in general.

"Oh, well I guess that explains it then." The sophomore said, not liking the way Gabe always blew them off.

"Let's just get back to studying."

"Wow, I never thought I'd hear you say that." Alex replied with a chuckled, and Marlow just smiled. "What Gabe does or doesn't do really gets to you, doesn't it?"

"No, he's his own person, he can do whatever he wants. I don't care." Marlow denied.

"But you like him..." Alex said, "shouldn't that count for something?"

"Look, despite whatever my feelings are for Gabe, I can't control what he does. If he wants to be with Riley and his friends, so be it." Marlow responded with a hint of bitterness in her voice. "Can we please just get back to Physics?"

"Sure." Alex replied. "Whatever you want."

A few more minutes of studying went by, and Marlow was about to take a drink from her water bottle when a football player toppled over her, landing them both in the grass. He had accidentally knocked over her homework as well, which just made the girl even more angry.

"I'm really sorry." The boy apologized. "I was trying to catch the football and I didn't see you guys there. Here, let me help you up."

"Don't touch me!" Marlow rejected, ripping her arm away. "You've done enough, now just leave me alone."

"I feel bad that's all, and I wanted to make sure you were okay."

"I'm fine." Marlow assured. "God, this is why I don't like football players." She lent down, shoved her homework and books in her backpack, then slung it over her shoulder. "Let's go Alex."

Alex picked up his backpack as well and slung it over his shoulder. "See you later, Danny." The sophomore said, remembering the boy from Glee Club.

*****Stereo Hearts*****

_Wednesday, September 8, 2032 - Day 8_

Gabe was sitting in the Photography classroom, one of the only classes he actually enjoyed going to, scanning over the syllabus and reading what assignments they had in store for this year. Although Gabe may seem like your typical bad boy, who does things like skip class, set fires, and date girls, one of his biggest passions is photography. He even wants to head to Columbia University after high school and major in it.

Before class started, Gabe noticed Patricia Evans walk into the room. She was holding a piece of paper in her hand and went to talk to Mr. Grayson, the photography teacher. He saw him point to the empty seat next to his, and narrowed his eyes. She wasn't coming back here to see him, was she?

"Patricia, what are you doing here?" The sophomore asked.

"I had a schedule change." She said, sitting down. "The class I wanted to take was all filled up, so they transferred me to this one. Looks we're desk buddies."

Gabe looked mortified. He couldn't even imagine spending a semester sitting next to Riley's annoying sister, let alone it being actual reality. "This is just a dream," Gabe whispered to himself, "I'm going to wake up any moment now."

"Shut up." Patricia replied, hitting him in the arm. "Don't be a drama queen. You think I want to be in this class? Photography is stupid."

"She didn't mean that." Gabe assured, petting his camera. Patricia just looked at him like he was super weird. "And you think photography is stupid? Well I think hockey is stupid."

"Ugh, take that back!" She demanded.

"You take what you said back."

"No, because what I said was true." Patricia explained.

"Right, because the camera _wasn't_ one of the most notable inventions of the 19th century." Gabe replied sarcastically. "Nice to see you haven't lost your love of accuracy, Trish."

"Well then how about I just hit you over the head with it. I bet it'll be more notable to me then." Patricia warned. Just then, the bell rang, signaling class could begin.

"Alright class," Mr. Grayson began, "if you could all pull out a sheet of paper, I'm going to go over the guidelines for the semester-long project we have planned for this year."

Gabe was reaching in his backpack for a sheet of paper, when Patricia tapped him on the shoulder. "Hey, can I borrow a piece of paper?"

"Why? You think photography is stupid, why would you want to take notes on such a boring subject?"

"Just stop being a little girl and hand me a sheet." Patricia said. Gabe looked offended, but handed her the paper anyway.

"Now, the first thing you should know about this project is that it will be assigned in partners." Mr. Grayson informed. "I already have the list made, so no need to think about who you want to partner up with. This project is all about getting to know someone you never expected. So say you're a jock, I may have paired you up with someone from the band. Or if you're a cheerleader, you might be partnered with a girl in Art Club."

"What exactly are the requirements for this project?" A student asked.

"I was just getting to that." Mr. Grayson said. "The sky is the limit for all of you on this assignment, and the concept is simple. Create a scrapbook of your partner, filling it with pictures you take of them throughout the semester and information you learn about them through the course of this class. It could be their favorite color, a memory from a long time ago, or dreams they hope to achieve in the future. This is your project, so make it whichever way you would like."

"How long does the scrapbook have to be?" Another student questioned.

"Now that's up to you and your partner. Depending on how much you learn about each other, determines how long your scrapbook will be." The teacher responded.

"Do we get to hear who are partners are today?"

"Yes, I was just about to read them off." Mr. Grayson said. "Now, I made a few last minute changes due to a couple of new students, but it's still an even number, so we should be okay. Haley and Brian, you two will be partners, along with Aaron and Taylor, John and Kyle, Nicole and Heather, Gabe and Patricia, Craig and Elizabeth..." The teacher continued speaking, but Gabe and Patricia stopped listening after they heard their names together.

"Did he just say Gabe and Patricia?" She asked.

"I think so..." Gabe replied, not knowing what else to say. How could Mr. Grayson pair them up together, was their bickering really that obvious?

"See, what'd I tell you? Photography is stupid." Patricia said, and Gabe just sunk down in his chair, not as excited for this class as he was before.

*****Stereo Hearts*****

It was everyone's second official meeting for Glee Club, and they were all curious to what Mrs. Puckerman had in store for them today. Yesterday, she just let them have a private jam session to become more comfortable around one another, so they were excited to see what she was going to do to top that.

Marley walked into the choir room, looking a little down in the dumps, and everyone seemed concerned for their Glee Club coach. She took a seat at the stool in the front of the room, and slid her cellphone back in her pocket.

"What's up with your mom?" Dorothy asked.

"I have no idea." Bella responded. "She was fine this morning when we left for school."

"Hi guys." Marley greeted, absent her usual cheeriness.

"Um...Mrs. Puckerman, is everything alright?" Eli asked. "Something bad hasn't happened for the Glee Club, has it?"

"No, the Glee Club is fine." She assured. "I think I'm just having a bad day."

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Drew questioned.

Marley chuckled. "Thank you, but I think I have to handle this one on my own. Do you guys think we could cut Glee Club a little short today? Besides, I know most of you are missing football and cheerleading practice to be here, and you have a big game coming up tomorrow. Perhaps we could just pick this back up next week."

"Are you sure?" Alex asked.

"Yeah," Marley replied, "I don't think I'd get much done today anyway."

Riley shrugged, and was the first person to get up from his seat. "Well alright, I guess we'll see you later Mrs. Puckerman. I hope you feel better." The rest of the football players and cheerleaders followed Riley out the door, along with Marlow, Alex, Gabe, and Patricia who left soon after.

"Hey, we'll talk to you later Bella." Dorothy said before leaving with Eli.

Bella got up from her seat, and was about to say something to her mother before Marley beat her to it. "I'm fine, honey, I promise. I'll see you at home." Her daughter seemed hesitant to leave, but after a few moments, picked up her backpack and slung it over her shoulder. She didn't say anything as she left the choir room.

After Bella was gone, Marley still sat on the stool at the front of the choir room, but pulled back out her cellphone. She flipped to the text message she had received only moments before entering the choir room before, and sighed due to what it said.

"What's up?" The piano women, Barb, asked. Ever since Brad left, his daughter had taken over the piano duties for the Glee Club.

"Oh, it's my husband, Jake. He cancelled on our dinner plans again." Marley said, showing Barb the text message: "_Sorry honey, I can't tonight. Mind if I take a rain check? Working late."_

"Men. Can't live with them...nope, that's about it." The woman said, and it caused Marley to laugh. "Have you confronted him about it?"

"No," Marley wined, taking a seat next to Barb on the piano bench, "I wouldn't know what to say. He's working hard, I don't want to blame him for that."

"But you're his wife," Barb argued, "he should want to spend more time with you." Marley huffed, and rested her chin on the palm of her hand. "You know what I think you need, I think you need to sing about it. Let out some of that angst, cause Hun, you're like a walking thunder cloud."

"Really?" Marley asked, to which Barb nodded her head. "Well what did you have in mind?"

Barb just smiled, and started playing the piano. The band soon jumped in, and Marley immediately identified the song. She got up from the piano bench, and began singing.

_Well, all the parties on the streets are talking, store front mannequins sleeping in lights._  
_We used to smoke while we were jaywalking like it was your birthday every other Saturday night._  
_Knew the bands so we never payed our cover._  
_Wrote our names on the bathroom tiles._  
_We never dressed to impress all the others,_  
_They would let us in on our laid back kind of style._  
_But boy you know it's been a while._

"Bella, is that you?" Drew asked, noticing a girl peeking through the window of the choir room. Bella was startled by Drew's presence, and jumped in fright.

"Oh, Drew, it's you." Bella said, relieved, bringing a hand to her chest.

"What are you doing?" The junior questioned with a raise of his eyebrow.

_I don't know why you don't take me down town like you got anywhere better to be._  
_Talk it up and give me the go round, round like a good time tease._  
_I'm only counting on your cancellation,_  
_When I should be counting on you at my door._  
_Did you forget about how we went around,_  
_I don't know why you don't take me downtown anymore._  
_Ohhhhhhhh anymore._

"I wanted to figure out what was wrong with my mom, so I decided to stay behind and watch." Bella explained.

Drew chuckled. "So you were just spying on her. You have a habit of getting yourself into trouble, don't you?"

"I'm not getting into trouble, I'm trying to fix it." The freshman replied. "I think my mom and dad are having problems. What if they split up? I don't know if I would be able to handle something like that happening."

"Hey, there's no need to get ahead of ourselves. I doubt they're splitting up. What seems to be the problem?"

_I got some platforms sitting in the corner._  
_They wanna stroll on a city sidewalk._  
_I got a dress that'll show a little uh uh but you ain't gettin' uh uh if you don't come pick me up (damn),_  
_Show me off (wow),_  
_You might be tired, but I'm not!_

"My dad rarely does anything with my mom anymore. He's always working at the car dealership, and I think it's finally getting to her." Bella said.

"That happened to my parents once." Drew replied. "My dad was always somewhere directing a movie, and I think it made my mom feel less important."

"How'd they fix it?"

"Simple. They just started spending more time together. My dad focused less on making movies and my mom quit shopping with her friends every day of the week. So, I think what we need to do, is get your parents at the same event together, and the rest will fall into place. Neither one seems to be putting their foot down, so I think it would be best if we just gave them a little nudge in the right direction." Drew explained.

"I'm hearing an awful lot of we? You really want to help me?" Bella asked.

"Of course." Drew said with a smile. "We're friends, right?"

"Yeah, we are definitely friends." Bella agreed, returning the smile.

_And I don't know why you don't take me down town like you got anywhere better to be._  
_Talk it up and give me the go round, round like a good time tease._  
_I'm only counting on your cancellation,_  
_When I should be counting on you at my door._  
_Did you forget about how we went around,_  
_I don't know why you don't take me downtown anymore._

"So, I was thinking we could get them together at tomorrow night's football game. What do you think?" Drew asked.

"That's probably are best bet. Then I could suggest we grab dinner after, but leave suddenly to get a ride home with someone else." Bella added.

"Good idea." The junior said. "It's best if we get them alone. And since we're on the topic of football, I scored you a ticket to the game." Drew pulled a ticket out of his pocket and handed it to Bella.

_I don't know why you don't take me downtown like you got anywhere better to be._  
_Talk it up and give me the go round round like a good time tease._  
_I'm only counting on your cancellation,_  
_When I should be countin on you at my door._  
_Did you forget about how we went around,_  
_I don't know why you don't take me downtown anymore._  
_Ohhh anymore._  
_Yeaaaaah I don't know why you don't take me downtown,_  
_I don't know why you don't take me downtown anymore._  
_I just don't get it._

"You bought me a ticket?" Bella questioned, trying her hardest not to blush.

"Well, it was more of a gift. The coach of the football team hands them out to all his players at the beginning of the season to give to whoever they want." Drew explained.

"Wait...since when are you on the football team? You didn't strike me as the type of guy to hang out with a bunch of jocks." Bella said, honestly.

"Oh, I've always liked football. Yeah, my dad was on the team in high school too." Drew lied, not about his dad, but about liking football.

"Really?" The girl, somewhat surprised.

"Yep, you're looking at the Titans new starting field goal kicker." The junior said, proudly.

"Well, in that case, since you're playing, I will definitely be at the game." Bella responded with a smile. "Thanks for your help Drew, it means a lot to me. I'll see you tomorrow."

Drew waved goodbye, and after Bella was out of sight, he started doing his victory dance. He had just scored a somewhat-date-but-not-really-a-date with Bella Puckerman, and that was definitely means for a victory dance. While Drew was lost in his own world, Marley walked out of the choir room, and caught a slight glimpse of Drew's insane dance moves before he noticed that she was there.

"Oh, hi Mrs. Puckerman." Drew greeted, embarrassed, ceasing his actions.

"Hello Drew." Marley replied. "Aren't you supposed to be at football practice right now?"

"I was just heading there." The junior replied. "Great lesson today. Gotta go!" And with that, Drew scurried off down the hallway, leaving Marley extremely confused.

*****Stereo Hearts*****

_Thursday, September 9, 2032 - Day 9_

Fallen leaves, cooler weather, students heading back to school; these were all signs that autumn had come to Lima, Ohio, and if there was one thing that accompanied the changing of seasons, it was football. Titans football had become a tradition for the people of Lima; parents would have barbecues outside the stadium before big games, cheerleaders would perform at pep rallies, and once a week the players would take the field and show the whole town why they were ranked the #1 football team in the state of Ohio.

Yet with reputation, comes in insurmountable expectation of success. The students at McKinley wouldn't accept a Titans loss, and neither would the football players themselves. So that's why this game, the first game of the season, was the key to kicking off the Titans winning season.

_[Booth announcer's voice] "Good evening, William McKinley High School. Johnny Landon coming at you with Titan's sideline football. It's Thursday night, and we all know what that means, it's time for the opening game of the season, the night that our McKinley Titans bring the hammer down on the Washington Mustangs."_

The game was set to start in the next 30 minutes, and people were beginning to enter the stadium, grab some food from the concession stand, and find a comfortable seat where they could see all the action taking place on the field. The Westons, Smythe-Hummels, Abrams, and Shuesters arrived together, where Eli and Dorothy decided to sit next to each other. Marlow and Alex showed up a few minutes later, with their parents in tow, and took a seat on the left side of the bleachers, remembering to save a seat for Gabe in case he decided to show up.

Near the main entrance, the Lopez-Pierce family, along with Quinn, happened to run into Sam and Harmony and their daughter. They all decided to sit together, while letting Gabe and Patricia wonder off and sit wherever. Santana and Brittany went to fetch some popcorn, while Sam, Harmony, and Quinn settled into their seats.

"Hey, honey, look! There's Riley!" Harmony waved to her son, and with him being left-handed, his head was turned the correct way to catch a glimpse of her. He smiled at his mother's enthusiasm, but that smile seemed to get a little bigger when he saw who was sitting next to them. He sent a half-wave to the crowd, before re-focusing on the task at hand. Throwing the football.

_"Now, the Titan's star quarterback, Riley Evans, has a 71% accuracy rating when it comes to throwing the football. Not only is that the best in the state of Ohio, but also nationally. I'll tell you one thing's for certain, this kid is definitely going places."_

"I take it Riley's pretty good." Quinn noticed after listening to the announcer's voice.

"He's an All-State quarterback. He's won two consecutive football championships with no signs of stopping. I'd say yeah, he's pretty good." Patricia replied. "At least that's what my dad always says."

Quinn chuckled. "I see. You know Danny was the player of the week a couple of times back in Columbus. He was so excited when he heard there was a running back spot open at this school, and then Riley was so nice to make sure he made the team."

"Oh, I didn't know he did that. Well, that's Riley for you, always trying to help everyone out." Harmony said.

"Yeah, he's a pretty great kid." Quinn replied.

_"We also have a few fresh faces to welcome to the Titans this year. First up is junior running back, Danny Fabray. He transferred from Columbus this year and football coach, Ryan Zanger, tells us to expect some big things from him this up and coming season. The other is junior Drew Abrams. Word on the street is he only joined two days ago, due to the recent injury to field goal kicker, Ethan Blake. Coach Zanger says he's this season's secret weapon to success. I guess we'll see tonight if that statement holds true or not."_

Last of the families to arrive were Marley and Jake Puckerman, along with their daughter, Bella. She had managed to convince both of her parents to come tonight, in hopes of getting them alone for some much-needed bonding time.

Everyone made small talk while they waited for the game to start. After about 25 minutes, it was finally time for kick-off.

_"Alright, Titans fans, this is the moment we've been waiting for. It's time for opening kick-off! The Titans have selected to receive, so it looks like the first action of the night will be in the hands of captain, Riley Evans, and his offense."_

Riley and the offense drove down the field with passes and scored a quick seven points against the Washington Mustangs.

"Yeah! Go #23! Trample those Mustangs!" Gabe shouted.

Patricia just shook her head. "Is it just me, or do you and my brother have a bromance thing going on?"

"Hey, mine and Riley's relationship is completely platonic. Do I love him? Yes, but only like a brother." Gabe explained.

"Sure...keep telling yourself that." Patricia mumbled, holding back a laugh.

"Hey, for your information, I love women." The sophomore confirmed. "Just because I don't hit on you like you want me to, doesn't mean I'm into guys."

"Whoa, what?" Patricia exclaimed. "You think I want you to be into me? Are you insane? I'd rather go on a date with Bob the Janitor."

"Sure...keep telling yourself that." Gabe said with a smirk. And just when Patricia looked like she was about to punch him, he snapped a picture of her. "There, first one for the scrapbook."

Patricia had a mix of surprise and admiration on her features. On one hand, she was mad that he took a picture of her, but on the other hand, she was happy to see that he was taking this assignment seriously, and they weren't going to be fighting the whole time. "Let me see the picture." Patricia demanded, leaning over and trying to snatch the camera out of Gabe's hands.

"What, don't you trust me? I think you look lovely." Gabe said with a laugh.

"Right, for all I know I look stupid as hell. Just let me see the picture, Gabe." The sophomore complained, almost completely leaning over him now to retrieve the camera. On the other side of the bleachers, Marlow's eyes didn't seem to be absent during this little altercation.

"I can't believe him." Marlow said, angrily. "Of all the girls he could sit next to, he had to pick her. The only reason I came to this stupid game was because I thought for once he'd stick around and watch it with me, but I guess I was wrong. Come on, Alex, let's get out of here." And for the second time that week, Gabe had managed to cause Marlow to leave with a little less feeling invested in him than before.

*****Stereo Hearts*****

Everyone in the crowd broke for half-time, refilling their drinks, heading to the bathroom, and just walking around to stretch their legs. Eli and Dorothy headed to the concession stand go grab some Milk Duds and a soda, where they ran into a few of the boys from Dalton Academy.

"Oh no." Eli mumbled, and Dorothy seemed concerned.

"Hey guys, look, if it isn't McKinley High Glee Club's biggest flake. What's up, Eli? Haven't seen you in a while. Is your daddy still coaching the No Directions?"

"Back off, Zane. I don't want any trouble." Eli said.

"Well that may be, but it looks like trouble's already found you." The Dalton boy clarified.

"Just leave him alone." Dorothy pleaded. "He didn't do anything to you guys."

Zane just chuckled. "That's what you think. You see, your boy Eli isn't as innocent as you might think. Do you want to share with your little friend what you did, or should I?"

"Leave her out of this Zane, this is between you and me." Eli warned. "Look, I'm sorry that Paul had to leave town, he was your best friend, but that wasn't my fault."

This time Zane laughed even louder. "Really? Because you seem to be missing the part of the story where it was your fault that his dad found out he was gay and kicked him out of the house."

"What is he talking about?" Dorothy asked, confused.

"Forget it, I'll just tell her." Zane offered. "Your little boy toy here dated by best friend and convinced him to tell his dad about their relationship, and then dumped him afterwards."

"Wait...you're gay?" Dorothy asked. Wow, now she felt stupid.

The sophomore ignored her question for the time being and defended himself to Zane. "Hey, I never dumped Paul. He moved away, what was I supposed to do?" Eli asked.

"I don't know, never get involved with him in the first place? All I know is that you and me have a grudge to settle and if you don't want it to involve fists, I suggest you think of something fast." Zane replied.

Dorothy thought for a minute, trying to think of a way for Eli to avoid getting his head knocked in. "What about a sing-off?" She blurted out.

"What?" Zane questioned.

"You know, like against show choirs. The Warblers against the New Directions. If we win, you have to leave Eli alone." The freshman explained.

"That sounds like a decent deal." Zane thought. "Fine, but if we win, I get to punch Eli in the face."

"Deal." Dorothy said quickly, before Eli could object.

"What?" The sophomore exclaimed. "Don't I get a say in this?"

"I have a lot of faith in our team. Just go with me on this, alright?" Dorothy pleaded.

"Okay, so now there's just one final detail. Who's going to judge?"

"Why not the president of the school board. She's seems like the most unbiased of candidates." The freshman thought.

"Hmm...she'll have to do, considering it's such short notice. Tell your Glee Club the show down will be after school tomorrow, at 3:00 in McKinley's auditorium."

"Okay." She and Zane shook on it, and the Dalton boy sent one more intimidating look before walking away with the rest of the Warblers.

"Please tell me you have a plan for beating these guys," Eli said, "because I'm rather attached to my face."

"I don't, " Dorothy said honestly, "but look on the bright side, no matter what happens, they'll leave you alone after this."

"Wow, what a day to look forward to." Eli deadpanned. He and Dorothy grabbed their snacks and made their way back up the bleachers for the second half of the football game.

*****Stereo Hearts*****

Most of the game had already been played; the score was 31-29 in favor of the Mustangs, with 1:37 left on the game clock and it was Titan's ball on their own 25-yard-line. Riley and his offense had to go at least 60 yards to even get in field goal range to win the game, and that scenario would only pan out if Drew makes the three points. It was first down, with everyone in the stands biting their nails in anticipation, and Riley quickly threw a screen pass to Danny, which he ran for a 15 yard gain. Riley threw a few more passes, and got them inside the 20-yard-line with just under ten seconds running on the game clock. He quickly called a timeout, and the coach sent out his kicking team in hopes of winning the game by one point.

If Drew was being honest, he was scared out of his mind. He didn't want to impress Bella by joining the football team, only to fail miserably when the outcome of the game pretty much rested in his hands. He lined up his kick, ready to get this over with and have everyone hate him, when the Mustangs called a timeout of their own, trying to ice the kicker.

"Crap." Drew ran over to the sidelines, where Riley was waiting there with some encouraging words.

"Come on, Drew, you can do this. Just like we practiced. Don't think about anyone else, try to zone everything out. That's what works best for me." The quarterback advised.

"I'm not like you Riley, I can't take this pressure. I'm going to mess up."

"No you're not. Everyone in this entire stadium believes in you. The coach of the Mustangs even tried to ice you because he's probably shitting his pants right now." This made Drew laugh. "Don't doubt yourself, we got this game in the bag." Riley patted the boy on the helmet before pushing him out onto the field.

As Drew walked to the line of scrimmage, he spotted Bella in the audience. She looked even more scared then he did, and all Drew thought at that moment, was how much he wanted to win this game for her. So instead of panicking, he lined up his footing, the offensive line snapped the ball, and there was only a split second of hesitation before Drew lunged at the football and kicked it high into the air.

Everyone watched in slow motion as it flew through the air, some people even shielded their eyes, including Drew, but when he heard the roar of the crowd through his helmet, he knew the ball had gone through the uprights.

_"Titans win! Titans win!"_

The rest of the football players ran out onto the field and hoisted Drew up onto their shoulders. They carried him around the field for awhile, congratulating him, as everyone else in the stands cheered with joy.

About 30 minutes later, Drew exited the Titan's locker room and stepped out into the parking lot, where he saw Bella waiting for him.

"Well if it isn't Mr. MVP, you sure know how to keep a girl waiting." The freshman said with a smile.

"No parents?" Drew asked.

"Nah, I took your advice and ditched them. They're going out to dinner as we speak." Bella replied.

"That's good to hear. Looks like our plan worked."

"Actually, it was your plan, but if you want to give me credit that's fine too." She reminded.

Drew laughed. "Right, I must have forgotten that part."

"So, you're a big football star now. Does that mean the popular girls are going to be all over you?"

"Hmm...maybe, but that doesn't really matter." Drew responded.

"And why is that?" Bella asked, hugging her jacket tighter due to how cold it was.

"Well, this may sound dumb, but I actually only joined the football team to impress you." The junior admitted.

This time Bella couldn't hide the blush that formed on her face. "And what makes you think I like football players?"

"You like Riley, he's a football player."

"I don't _like _Riley, I've only talked to the guy a couple of times. Maria's the one that's crushing on him, and trust me, you do not want to get involved with that drama." Bella said with a chuckle. "And besides, even if I did like Riley, I wouldn't like him because he played football."

"Oh, so I guess I misread the situation, huh?" Drew asked.

"A little bit." Bella replied, smiling. "You really did all of this for me?"

"Sort of. That's why none of those popular girls are ever going to matter, because whether I'm a jock on the football team or a nerd that acts out scenes from Star Wars, you're the only girl I have feelings for." Drew admitted, stepping closer to Bella. "And I've been trying to tell you that since the day I met you."

"Well now you've told me." Bella replied, looking up at Drew. "So the only question left, is what are you going to do next?"

Drew paused for a moment, before grabbing Bella's arm and pulling her closer. "I was thinking something like this." In that moment, there lips touched, and it was like everything else just melted away. The roar of cheering fans, the rumbling of car mufflers, and the sound of the breeze flowing in the wind; all gone.

"Hey Drew, let's go!" One of his teammates shouted from inside his Jeep.

"Looks like that's my cue. I'll see you around, Bella." With one final kiss on the check, Drew ran to the Jeep and jumped in. As the car sped away, Bella waved goodbye to the jock/nerd, never wanting to forget this night or boy that made it perfect.

*****Stereo Hearts*****

Riley, Drew, and Darrell, along with some other guys from the football team, were driving to a victory party at Shane Dexter's house, when they spotted a car on the side of the road with a flat tire.

"Dude, isn't that Danny's mom?" Drew asked Riley, noticing it was Ms. Fabray who was having car troubles.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure it is." Darrell responded. "Do you think we should call him?"

"No, it's fine. This is going to be his first big party since moving to Lima, it's probably better not to bother him." Riley assured. "Hey Nick, pull the car over." Nick stopped his black Jeep next to Danny's mom's car and Riley hopped out from the back.

"Quinn?" The junior questioned, walking closer. Quinn pulled her head out from the trunk of her car and turned around. She had been trying to lift out a spare tire, but was having no such luck.

"Riley...what are you doing here?" The blonde asked, wondering how in the world this boy seemed to show up every time she was having problems. I mean, did they somehow manage to make a bat symbol in the sky that only Riley could see?

"My friends and I were just driving to a party when we saw your car on the side of the road. Is everything okay?"

"Oh yeah, everything's fine. Just a flat tire, that's all." Quinn assured.

"Well do you need some help?" Riley asked, not minding at all. "You have to admit it beats calling a mechanic."

"Um, no, I'm sure I can handle it." She responded. Quinn made another attempt at lifting up the tire, but again wasn't strong enough.

"At least let me help you get it out of the trunk then." Riley said before walking over to the trunk of Quinn's car and using his upper body strength to pick the tire up and set it back down on the ground. "There, all yours." Riley added, gesturing to the tire." Quinn eyed it nervously, not having even the slightest clue about how to change a tire.

"You have no idea what to do, do you?" The junior questioned with a smile, to which Quinn shook her head. This made Riley chuckle. "Hey, I'll catch up with you guys later. I'm going to help Ms. Fabray change the tire on her car."

"Are you sure man? Because we can wait if you want." Darrell said.

"No, that's okay, you guys enjoy the party. I'll meet up with you when I'm done." Riley said.

"Alright, catch you later, QB." Darrell replied before he and the rest of the boys sped off down the street.

"Okay, now where were we?" Riley thought, rubbing his hands together. "Right, we need a jack." He reached into the trunk and pulled out a jack to help support the car. Riley then knelt down on the ground and placed it next to the flat tire to keep the car level. "Hey, it's pretty cold out here. You sure you don't want to wait in the car?"

"It's fine, I figure I might as well learn how to do this on my own now. There's might not always be someone around to help me." Quinn responded.

"Good point." Riley replied. "Well if you're going to stand out here in the cold, at least take my jacket." The jock offered, sliding it off his body.

"Oh no, I couldn't do that. You're shivering enough as it is." The blonde said with a light chuckle.

"I've lived through worse." Riley assured with a smile. "Besides, it's easier to work without it." He handed the jacket to Quinn, and with a little hesitation, she finally accepted it.

"Thank you." She stuttered out, only now starting to feel a bit warmer.

Riley continued changing the tire, explaining the steps to Quinn as he went. Finally, after about 15 minutes, he was done. "There, good as new." The junior mused, proud of his work. "Do you have anything else that you need me to fix on the car, now that I'm here?"

"Well, if it's not too much trouble, there did seem to be some problems with my steering, if you wouldn't mind checking them out that would be-"

"Say no more." Riley cut off. "I'm already on it." He ran to the other side of the car and turned the key in the ignition, hoping some warning light would pop up so he would know exactly what was wrong. And just like he had predicted, one did. "Well, you were right about there being something wrong with your steering, you have low transmission fluid. You wouldn't happen to have any extra in your car, would you?"

"No, I'm almost positive I don't." Quinn replied.

"Well, looks like we're going to have to call that mechanic after all." Riley said with a laugh. He pulled out his cellphone and dialed the number to Burt's Auto Shop. "Hey Vince, it's Riley." There was a pause, Quinn figured the other guy was talking. "Yeah, someone I know is actually having some trouble with her transmission fluid. I was wondering if you could help her out. We're on Harding St., near the old bakery." Another pause. "Alright, that sounds great. Thanks Vince."

"What did he say?" Quinn asked.

"He said he's helping someone else right now, but could be here in 45 minutes. Is that okay?" Riley asked.

"Yeah, that's fine. I'll just wait in my car for him to get here. You can call for a ride if you want, you don't have to wait here with me." Quinn said.

"Who says I want to wait here?" The junior questioned with a smile. "My mom's acting studio is about two blocks from here. The roof's got the best view of the town at night. What do you say we check it out?"

"Oh, I don't know." Quinn replied, nervously. "I probably shouldn't leave my car here alone."

Riley laughed. "It's a car, not a five-year-old kid. I think it can defend itself. Come on, Quinn, you only live once. Why not make it count?"

Quinn seemed hesitant, a feeling that happened to surface a lot when she was around the boy, but couldn't help but be intrigued by the view from a rooftop. "You are one strange boy, Riley Evans."

"Probably." He replied. "But no stranger than you, I'm sure."

"Watch it. What ever happened to the phrase, "respect your elders?" Quinn asked with a smirk.

"Funny, I always thought that only applied to people over 60." Riley and Quinn both laughed, and the conversation flowed as they both walked off down the street towards Harmony's acting studio. A few minutes passed, and when they got to the building, Riley hopped up onto a dumpster to pull down the ladder that led to the roof.

"Ladies first." Riley gestured, letting Quinn climb up the ladder before him. When they reached the top, Quinn's mouth flew open as she witnessed the bright lights of Lima, Ohio at night, twinkling in the dark sky and causing the stars to shine more radiantly than they ordinarily would.

"Oh my god, it's beautiful." Quinn gasped.

"I told you, it's the second greatest view in the city." Riley responded.

"I thought you said it was the first." The blonde recalled.

"Well it used to be." The junior clarified.

Quinn chuckled. "What knocked it off its pedestal?"

All Riley could do was stare at Quinn when she asked that. And without even having to say anything, she already knew the answer to her own question. Riley took a few steps closer to Quinn, she knew what he was about to do, but a part of her didn't want to stop him. He leaned in further, about to close the gap between their lips, when Quinn put a hand to Riley's chest, ceasing his motions, and another to her mouth.

"Riley, stop. We can't do this. _I _can't do this. God, you're just a kid! What was I thinking?" Quinn was having an inner battle with herself, and Riley wasn't sure what to do.

"No, it's not your fault. I shouldn't have tried to do that. I'm sorry." He apologized.

"You probably thought that I was leading you on." Quinn assumed. "What's the matter with me? I have to go." She made a run for the ladder, and this time Riley didn't try to stop her, knowing in his heart that what he just tried to do was wrong...but then why did it feel so right?

*****Stereo Hearts*****

_Friday, September 10, 2032 - Day 10_

The New Directions and the Warblers were both in the auditorium, along with their coaches Marley and Blaine, and the Warblers were set to go first in the sing-off after flipping a coin. Griffin and Seth were warming up their vocal chords and going through a few dance steps, while James was running through his lyrics. While scanning over the piece of paper, someone had called out his name.

"James?" A girl's voice questioned, and James turned around to see who it was.

"Maria..." He responded in shock, "what are you doing here?"

"This is where I go to school. You go to Dalton?" She asked, noticing his uniform.

"Yeah, I'm a junior." James replied. "I had no idea you even lived in Lima. When I met you at that cook-off in Indiana you never mentioned it."

"I guess I didn't think it was important, considering I never thought I'd see you again." Maria said.

"Yeah, I never thought I'd see you again either." James replied, breathlessly. He hadn't been able to get this girl out of his head all summer, and now here she was, standing right in front of him, and this time it didn't look like she was going anywhere. "Would you ever want to meet up for coffee sometime? Just have a drink, catch up."

Maria looked conflicted. "Oh, James, I-I don't know. What we had during the summer was great and all, but I'm back to my normal life now, and I have someone here that I really care about. I'm sorry."

"I get it. You have a boyfriend, is that it?" James asked.

"Well, he's not technically my boyfriend yet, but I don't want to be seeing anyone else when he finally does decide to ask me out." The freshman responded.

"Oh, I guess that makes sense." He said, dejectedly. "Maybe just friends then? I really like spending time with you."

Maria thought it over. "Friends could work." She agreed with a smile.

At that moment, Griffin butted into their conversation and introduced himself to the pretty girl.

"Hey, I'm Griffin." He greeted, resting his forearm on the railing.

"Maria." The girl deadpanned. She already didn't like this guy.

"Well Maria, all your worrying can now be over because I've finally rescued you from the boring conversation that is my little brother." He said. "Isn't that right, James?"

"Whatever." James mumbled, walking away.

"Hey, what's eating him?" Griffin questioned, watching as his brother left. "Never mind that, looks like it's just the two of us now." He said, sending the freshman a wink.

"Make that one. I'm out of here." Maria replied, following James' lead and walking away.

"You'll come around." Griffin called after her. "It's only a matter of time."

And with that, he pushed off the railing and jogged back up on stage. It was the Warblers time to perform, and what better song to do than one by one of the biggest boy bands of the 21st century, One Direction. Griffin took center stage, with the rest of the Warblers forming a V-shape behind him. The band started up, and Griffin began singing.

_**Griffin: **Oh, I just wanna take you anywhere that you like_  
_We could go out any day, any night_  
_Baby I'll take you there, take you there_  
_Baby I'll take you there, yeah_

Seth stepped in front of Griffin, leaving the boy a little flustered, but they continued on singing.

_**Seth: **Oh, tell me tell me tell me how to turn your love on_  
_You can get, get anything that you want_  
_Baby just shout it out, shout it out_  
_Baby just shout it out, yeah_

_**James: **And if you,_  
_You want me too_  
_Let's make a move_  
_Yeah, so tell me girl if every time we_

The rest of the Warblers joined in, and they began dancing all over the stage, waving their hands in the air and clapping along to the beat.

_**All: **You get this kind of ru-u-ush_  
_Baby, say yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah_  
_If you don't wanna take it slow_  
_And you just wanna take me home_  
_Baby, say yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah_

Griffin retaliated on Seth, and this time shoved him out of the way.

_**Griffin: **And let me kiss you_

The Warblers all started running around in a circle, clapping their hands.

_**All: **C'mon_  
_Na na na na na na na na_  
_Na na na na na na na na_  
_Na na na na na na na na_

_**Seth: **Yeah, so tell me, girl, if every time we_

The New Directions boys watched from the audience as the Warblers danced around, showing off some impressive vocals, but they were nothing to be too worried about. The girls thought it was kind of cute, and some were even bobbing their heads to the music.

_**All: **To-o-uch_  
_You get this kind of ru-u-ush_  
_Baby, say yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah_  
_If you don't wanna take it slow_  
_And you just wanna take me home_  
_Baby, say yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah_

_Every time we to-o-uch_  
_You get this kind of ru-u-ush_  
_Baby, say yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah_  
_If you don't wanna take it slow_  
_And you just wanna take me home_  
_Baby, say yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah_

James knelt down on one knee near the front of the stage, while Griffin and Seth were giving each other death glares, and sang the last line of the song.

_**James: **And let me kiss you_

The New Directions gave the Warblers a round of applause, before the boys took the stage to perform their song. Griffin and Seth walked down the steps, and Seth sent a quick wave to Olivia on this way, to which she reciprocated. Danny couldn't help but notice it, and felt a little rejected. He thought they had something good.

"Shake it off, dude." Riley said, coming up behind him and patting his friend on the shoulder.

"I just thought after Friday night..." Danny couldn't even manage to finish his sentence.

"Yeah, well, that's just how girls are. You can never tell where they stand. Probably best to get used to it." The junior replied.

"It sucks though, to get shoved aside like that."

"Tell me about it." Riley said, thinking back to last night. "Come on, we have a song to perform, and a bet to win. We don't want poor Eli getting punched in the face."

After all the boys were assembled on stage, the music started playing, and Gabe had the first opening verse. His first thought while singing wasn't one that he expected either. For some reason, the first person that came to his mind was Patricia, after last night, they had managed to grow closer, but Gabe figured it wasn't anything serious.

_**Gabe:** I'm not usually the type of guy to call twice, and leave a message everytime _  
_(It's me again)_  
_That's quite alright_

Danny looked at Olivia while singing, not like she noticed, and hoped that someday she would notice him the way he noticed her.

_**Danny:** And most days I just dust them off like that_  
_Girls text me, you're the only one I text back_  
_Cause you know where the party's at_

The New Directions took the same approach as the Warblers and began dancing around stage, mostly due to the fact that neither teams had had very much rehearsal time...or any for that matter.

_**All:** And I'm like, yeaaah_  
_Everything you heard is true_  
_Everybody knows I'm hung up on you (oh oh oh)_  
_And I'm like, yeaaah_  
_Telling other girls I'm through_  
_Everybody knows I'm hung up on you (oh oh oh)_

_**Darrell:** So big, this thing that we got going on_  
_Riding round downtown where you take the top off, yeah_  
_It turns me on_

_**Alex:** And I'm like, woah_  
_Girl, how'd you get me hooked like this?_  
_One look, one touch, one kiss, one chick_  
_And then I can't resist_

Marlow watched as Gabe moved around on stage, wondering why he could never sing a type of song like this to her. Jasmine was in the same boat, except for the fact that she _did _think Riley was singing this song to her. Man was that girl dilusional.

_**All:** And I'm like, yeah_  
_Everything you heard is true_  
_Everybody knows I'm hung up on you (oh oh oh)_  
_And I'm like, yeah_  
_Telling other girls I'm through_  
_Everybody knows I'm hung up on you (oh oh oh)_

_**Riley:** You got the style, you got the flavor_  
_I want you now, I want you later_  
_I'm hung up, so let's get down tonight_

Eli thought back to last night, and how Zane threatened to punch him in the face if they lost, so that made his verse so much more crucial to sing well. He also thought about Dorothy, and wished he would have had the guts to tell her he was gay before someone else did.

_**Eli:** Floating around, a couple of gypsies_  
_Shaking it up, we're getting typsy_  
_You show me yours_  
_Cause Imma show you mine_

As Drew sang his lines, the only girl in the room he was looking at was Bella. He even pointed at her to show her how much he cared about her.

_**Drew:** And I'm like, yeah_  
_Everything you heard is true_  
_Everybody knows I'm hung up on you (oh oh oh)_

_**Riley:** Yeah_  
_Telling other girls I'm through_  
_Everybody knows I'm hung up on you (oh oh oh)_

When it came to Riley's second verse, he couldn't manage to get the image of Quinn out of his head. He had been hung up on her since day one, the only problem was, their relationship wasn't the most conventional thing in the world. He already knew it was a stupid idea to try and kiss her, but that didn't make the idea of wanting to win her back stand out any less in his mind.

_**All:** And I'm like, yeah_  
_Everything you heard is true_  
_Everybody knows I'm hung up on you (oh oh oh)_  
_And I'm like, yeah_  
_Telling other girls I'm through_  
_Everybody knows I'm hung up on you (oh oh oh)_

_You got the style, you got the flavor_  
_I want you now, I want you later_  
_I'm hung up, so let's get down tonight...hung up on you!_

The boys finished up their performance, and everyone in the auditorium gave them a round of applause. Now all there was left to do, was sit and wait for the decision on which team won. After about five minutes, the president of the school board stood up, ready to announce the winners.

"Now, although both teams performed admirably, I believe the true winners today are..."

Everyone held their breath.

"The New Directions!" Mrs. Potter declared.

"Yes!" Eli exclaimed, now he didn't have to get punched in the face. The rest of the New Directions cheered, while Marley and Blaine shook hands like fair sports. Zane seemed disappointed, but more angry than anything, and stormed out of the auditorium.

"This isn't over Shuester! We'll see you at Regionals." Zane reminded.

"Yeah, you'll also see was winning at Regionals!" Eli retorted.

"Come on guys, group hug!" Dorothy said happily. The rest of the team laughed, and relished in their outstanding effort. Their coach, Marley, couldn't help but think that there were big things in store for Glee Club this year, and they were just getting started.

*****Stereo Hearts*****

**Alrighty, so that's it! I hope you guys liked it :) Don't forget to review!**

******Next time on _Stereo Hearts:_**

******"Hey, my parents are out of town this weekend and I was thinking about throwing a party. You guys in?" [Ariella asked the kids in Glee Club]**

******"I can't believe we got stuck with the same tutor. [Marlow grumbled]**

******"I shouldn't have tried to kiss you. I know that. [Riley told Quinn]**

******"Ava's what?" [Maria exclaimed]**

******"I blame you for all of this." [Olivia deadpanned]**

******"Second." [Darrell agreed]**


End file.
